If your teen driver is heading off to college and you worry about how responsible they'll be with their vehicle while they are away, there are a few things you'll want to consider. You'll want to talk with them about the possible things that may occur while they're away and how to deal with them.
If your teen deals with the following problems correctly, it could end up saving you a lot of money. Here are the things to bring up.
Getting Locked Out
If your teen loses their keys and doesn't want to call home to tell you, or thinks they may be inside the vehicle, they could try to break-in on their own. Damaging a window or the door trying to get in is a terrible idea, and tell them you would rather them have a locksmith like The Lock Shop come open the doors to let them in, or to have another key made. You should also see if your auto insurance provider pays for this to let them know.
Break-In
Unfortunately, parking lot crime sprees are common on college campuses and parking lots. If your teen thinks their vehicle has been broken into, or has items missing, they need to call the college campus police right away to make a report. They can't decide to do it later, or figure there isn't much that can be done. To get the items back and make a claim for insurance if necessary, or to have any damages repaired, the incident has to be documented by the police.
Small Fender Benders
Your teen bumps into another driver, or the other driver bumps into the, both parties are in a hurry and neither sees a lot of damage, can they just drive away and go on with their business? No, because there may be more damage than meets the eye. Also, the other driver may claim your teen hit them and then drove away. Tell your teen every accident has to be reported, even if damage is minimal.
If you are worried that your teen isn't going to be responsible with taking care of their vehicle while they are away at college, make sure you talk with them about these things. They may not want to call you and tell you that they did something silly that will upset you, or that something bad happened, but they have to be honest with you to get the problem fixed right.
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