ICT Releases ‘Auto Insurance 101’—A Primer for Teens

The Insurance Council of Texas has teamed up with Texas’ Regional Education Service Centers to provide the state’s teenagers with information about auto insurance.

The two groups came together this summer to produce Auto Insurance 101, an 18-minute video program that explains to Texas teens the facts about mandatory auto insurance in Texas, the high cost of auto insurance for teenagers, finding and purchasing auto insurance, the various coverages that are available, and where to turn for information and assistance. The video and its accompanying brochure are being distributed to every high school in the state.

“While the videotape is aimed at teenagers, consumers of all ages could learn something from watching this tape,” said Mark Hanna, a spokesman for the Insurance Council of Texas and producer of the videotape. “We all are exposed to little or no education when it comes to the subject of insurance. It is the duty of the insurance industry to inform the public on how insurance works and what better time to do this than early on in an educational setting.”

Dr. Pat Pringle, executive director of Region XIII’s Education Service Center, said the videotape will be distributed to more than 1,000 Texas public schools and approximately 250 charter schools. “I think the superintendents and campus leadership of each school district will find this videotape and brochure a valuable piece of information for their students,” Dr. Pringle said.

Auto Insurance 101 features a teenager who is pulled over for speeding by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper. When the young lady confesses she knows nothing about auto insurance, the trooper proceeds to give her a lesson on what every person who gets behind the wheel of a car should know. The video is divided into three segments allowing students time to discuss what they’ve learned and take a break. An accompanying brochure highlights the key points of the video.

The Insurance Council of Texas urges instructors who teach various courses like Life Skills, Economics, Money Management and Social Studies to play the video for students and contact an insurance agent to come to the classroom to discuss any questions students may have.