Auto insurance agents and brokers most often speak to the
parents when writing a new teen policy. They are there to provide insurance solutions to
the parent on behalf of the prospective new driver. However the real problem parents are
facing is the anxiety of their teen hitting the streets with the family car.
Now agents and brokers can offer a new solution to ease the
tensions and fears of parents with new teen drivers. They can be introduced to the I Promise Program.
The I Promise Program consists of a comprehensive
parent-teen mutual safe driving contract. The process provides parents with a structure
for discussing and negotiating matters that correlate most with teen related car crashes.
Upon signing off on the contract, parent and teen seal their commitment by affixing a rear
window decal to the vehicle. The decal displays a toll free number that enables the
community to make reports on driver behaviour. Reports are taken by a call center and
forwarded by mail to the parent to be dealt with as per the terms of the family contract.
The I Promise Program has been developed with the input of
hundreds of interested organizations. More information is available on the Web site:
www.ipromiseprogram.com From
the Web site, you can view the parent-youth mutual safe driving contract, over 80 letters
of support from organizations across North America and numerous articles about the program.
While the primary distribution plan is through partnerships
with automobile insurance companies agents and brokers recognize that such a solution
places them in good stead with their customers. They create a partnership with parents and
their teens that meets a number of pressing needs: injury prevention for teens, an overall
good community service and a loss prevention program that can reduce loss ratios.
The process is easy for agents and brokers. They can gauge
the parents concern just by asking them how nervous they are about their teen hitting the
streets with the family car. Virtually every parent will tell you they are anywhere from a
little nervous to very nervous. Next they simply introduce them to the concept of the I
Promise Program and follow through by directing them to the Web site to download a mail-in
registration form or by providing one themselves – right on the spot, that they have
downloaded and photocopied for their clients.
The I Promise Program presents a win/win and agents and
brokers who introduce it to parents will be viewed as lifesavers – quite literally!
Gary Direnfeld, Executive Director
