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Artists who paints in oil en plein aire. Member of the three member Plein Aire Cottage Artists. Members: Mary Rose Holmes, Violetta Chandler and Helen Tilston

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Exhorbitant Car Insurance Rates for Young Drivers





It is Friday and Sheila's birthday. "A" and I have decided to take her to lunch.  They pick me up and "A" is driving this super sporty 2-door car.  The new Mustang.  I am obliged to sit in the back seat.  Not an easy feat (feet -pun intended) as I wrap myself in pretzel form and slide in.  The car is brand new and has a great sound. Vroom! Vroom! My knuckles cling to the seat as she skids the tires exiting my driveway.  Male drivers roll down their windows and remark: "Nice car Lady"  Next red light:  "Hey Lady- wanna drag"**
The car had wide tyres and hugs the road.


Jonathan, "A"'s  son  is eleven years old.  He is a hard working and brilliant student who constantly gets A's in all subjects.  He loves cars and knows all makes and models but his all time favourite is the new Mustang.

"A" tells us that this is her son, Jonathan's new car, just delivered this week.  Each Friday she plans to drive "His" car to school to pick him up.    In Florida, younger teens at sixteen years of age can drive and all seem to get their driver's license and cars at this age.  Public transit is not very dependable  and if it exists the timetable and routings do not have the frequency needed.

Insurance for young drivers with new cars is frightfully expensive.

Jonathan's parents believe that Jonathan will be motivated to keep  his high grades and will be able to polish and look after his car for the next five years.  He will then  drive and also avail of  lower insurance on his Mustang car will be five years old by that time.

** In N. America to drag is to race.

Mustang Sally - By Wilson Pickett.

When I first heard this song by Wilson Pickett  I was a school girl living in Ireland. My brothers who were singers would ask me to take down the lyrics in shorthand.  We used listen to "The Teen and Twenty Disc Club from Radio Luxenburg each Wednesday night, hosted by Jimmy Saville.  I had no idea what Mustang Sally meant or what the song was about (Mustang cars still have not reached Ireland's shore)


 

51 comments:

  1. I had a '65 mustang in college and they were expensive to insure in those days too when they had just come out. Poor you having to sit on that non-existant back seat. They are cool though. I would love to have my old baby blue one back today :)
    Sam

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    1. Hello Sam

      How exciting that you had a baby blue mustang. You are so right, the back seat is not the most comfortable!!
      It is an exciting car to drive.

      Have a great week.

      Helen xx

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  2. Love Wilson Pickett. gosh how we danced to him . rocking and rolling.
    Well Johnothan sure has a good motivation for keeping up his grades!
    Have friends that had a Mustang.. great cars.. this new yellow model is super.. Sheila will take good care of it I am sure.
    I should imagine there are lots of Mustangs in Ireland now.
    happy weekend
    Helen
    val..x.x

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    1. Hello Val, I can just you dancing away to Wilson Pickett.
      What a fun memory.

      Hope your week is special

      Helen xx

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  3. My husband once owned a Mustang. I do remember it was not the most comfortable car outside of the front seats :-) My son is 12, and even though he loves cars and all machines - and is a straight A student - he is not getting a Mustang when he turns 16. I was thinking along the lines of something a little bit slower... more comfortable... and cheaper to insure. I shudder at the thought of a 16 year old out on the streets in a fast car. The new driver who hit my car (at a red light) last year had been on the road for just three months (in a huge pick up truck!)-- My rule is the French one I guess: If you are not old enought to vote, you are not old enough to drive... :-) Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)

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    1. Hello Veronique

      So you have experienced the joy of a Mustang. It is a very young age to drive and I know some friends whose children drive and are careful. The peer pressure is always a worry.
      Pick up trucks are popular with young drivers and sometimes it looks like the care is driverless when riding behind one.
      Heehee..

      Helen xx

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  4. What cool parents!! Clever, too. Jonathan is a lucky young man. And he sounds like a great kid.
    Cheers,
    Loi

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    1. Hello Loi
      He is a great kid and also good company. He has a wonderful personality too. It is a marvelous incentive.
      Have a wonderful week

      Helenxx

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  5. In the UK young drivers between the ages of 16-25 are involved in more accidents than any other age group. I know they aren't all maniacs but the statistics speak for themselves. That mustang sure looks great though.

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    1. Hello Sulky Kitten

      Those statistics are very sobering. There just is not the choice of public transit available in Florida.

      It is a cool car and certainly gets the attention of males.

      Helen xx

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  6. Dear Helen - it is exactly the same here, the responsible youngsters are being penalised with very very costly insurance because of the bad driving of irresponsible youngsters. My eldest granddaughter drives and is a careful, considerate driver - a student in her second year at Oxford University. Her parents have decided to exclude her from their motor insurance policy because they are being charged an arm and a leg to have her name on their policy, so she cannot drive any longer.

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    1. Hello Rosemary

      Your granddaughter is fulfilling a dream, attending Oxford. How special for her. I can understand her parent's decision.
      There is good public transit in Britain, both trains and buses, unlike Florida.

      Wishing you a week of joy

      Helen xx

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  7. Dear Helen,

    I don't really know how the prices of car insurances are in Holland. In my country most young people under twenty use public transport, because it's free when you study. When they need a car, they often use the one owned by their parents. Teenagers have to be 18 years old before they are allowed to drive. It sounds like it's different in the US.

    Wish you a happy weekend!

    Madelief x

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    1. Hello Madelief.

      It sounds like Holland has an excellent transit system. I think it is very civilized to offer free transportation to students. One less item for them to worry about.

      Have a wonderful week too

      Helen xx

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  8. Helen, I have learnt more from this post than from trailing a load of motor sites! Just adore the image of your girlfriend picking you up in the mustang and wowing other drivers at a red light!
    xx

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    1. Hello Sharon

      We did have fun attracting attention in our mustang car. I felt like a movie star riding around in the back seat (nobody could see me!)

      Have a wonderful week

      Helen xx

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  9. When I saw the icon...it made me say Yay Helen! A+ on the post Helen!

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    1. Thank you and yes we did have fun even if we did not act our age!. Heee hee.

      Helen xx

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  10. Nice car, good plan for young A....and now I am humming Mustang Sally to myself....love that song and all the memories it brings me.

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    1. Hello Chania

      I think it is a good plan for her son. In the meantime A and her husband can enjoy it when they take occasional trips.
      Happy to hear you are singing

      Helenxx

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  11. I love that song! Cool car--hope mom gets to drive it a lot over the next 5 years.

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    1. Hello Jen

      Happy you like the song and yes I believe her husband who is car lover will use the Mustang occasionally.

      Helen xx

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  12. Helen, I can only echo what Rosemary was saying. The only thing is: if you buy a Mustang for a young kid, one kind of assumes that the parents can afford to pay for the insurance! If not, maybe a FIAT 500 would be more suitable?

    Having said this: yes, youngsters get penalized for being young. What these companies are saying to them is: "We don't trust you to be sensible!" Lots of youngsters, in fact most, can be very sensible, indeed!

    And we won't go into the cost of passing a driving test and getting a licence in UK! TERRIBLE!

    CIAO!

    ANNA
    x

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    1. Hello Anna

      It is a novel idea for a young boy to already have a car at this young age. His parents work very hard and long hours.
      Sometimes European cars, such as Fiat are expensive in the USA, compared to American cars but I am no expert on this.

      I agree with you that some youngsters can be cautious and responsible and others need more time to mature. It is not easy being a young person.

      Have a week of joy

      Helen xx

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  13. Oh my Helen, I can't stop giggling at the thought of elegant you being zoomed around in a Mustang! I can't help it...:)

    Sending gros bisous,
    Heather

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    1. Hello Heather

      Now you have me giggling as I remember the day. We had so much laughter and flirting!! Perhaps I need to make a habit of this!! hee hee

      Helen xx

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  14. Hi Helen, it seems a little absurd to me, to buy a car for an 11 year old, but I do understand that the car insurance for young drivers is prohibitive. Holland seems to have the better idea!

    Many thanks for your comments on my blog. I do agree Weddings are very personal, and one theme won't suit evryone. Have a lovely week and a Happy Halloween, love Linda x

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    1. Hello Linda

      Thanks for visiting. Holland seems to have catered to having public transportation and suitable timetables. Not so in this area of Florida. Cars are the mode of transportation.

      Wishing you a week of joy

      Helen x

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  15. Hello Helen:
    Well, the bus is becoming a very stylish way to travel in London we are reliably informed by our young Russian friends!!!!Nevertheless, a yellow Mustang might just have the edge for us if we were choosing....just....!!!

    Thinking back to our own low slung sport car days, the only real problem was how to retain one's elegant demeanour in either entering or exiting the car. Virtually rolling on to the pavement in order to get out we could never manage to appear effortlessly glamorous. However, we are certain that you managed it....absolutely certain!!!!

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    1. Hello Jane and Lance

      I do recall your post of your owing that spectacular yellow sports car.
      Your comment "Virtually rolling on to the pavement in order to get out" has me laughing and is so true. Whatever hope there is exiting graciously from the front seat disappears entirely for the back seat rider! We had so much fun and quite an experience getting all that attention.

      Fondly,

      Helen xx

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  16. Love the pictures you have painted with your words, Mustang Sally indeed!! Was one of the big songs from the Commitments. Big wave from a sunny Ireland this morning:-)

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    1. Thank you for your compliment. I love the recording by the Commitments and loved the movie too.

      Thank you for the wave and happy to read it is sunny in Ireland.

      Helen xx

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  17. I actually think this is a wonderful idea, Helen, and I love the way you've written about it here.

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    1. Hello Lisa

      Thank you Lisa. I felt it was a unique concept and one I was not familiar with.

      Hope your week is special

      Helen xx

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  18. Sounds like a good kid, and clever parents. As for the back seat, I can relate--that's totally my territory in my land of tall people ;)

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    1. Hello Elizabeth
      Thanks and I agree it is a clever concept. I can imagine being tall would have added disadvantages for the back seat, which was designed for a doll or teddy bear.

      Helen xx

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  19. Helen, I always appreciate your comments on my blog! Often you comment when no one else does...what an encouragement!

    I would love to hear more about you living in Ireland as a young girl. It has been my lifelong dream to visit Ireland.

    Cindy at Notes in the Key of Life

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    1. Hello Cindy

      I also love comments and enjoy reading your posts.

      I had a wonderful childhood in the west of Ireland and also living on a farm near Dublin.

      Wishing you a great week

      Helenxx

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  20. Sitting in the back of a Mustang....sounds good to me ;-)
    Thanks for popping by; lovely to hear from you...I'm looking forward to reading your posts.
    Have a lovely day.
    Catherine
    xx

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    1. Hello Catherine

      A warm welcome to my blog. Thank you for commenting.

      We had a blast and I was unaware of how one can impress other drivers simply by owning a certain car type.

      Helen xx

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  21. Hi Helen,

    Unfortunately, the responsible and conscientious young drivers have to suffer the consequences of others before (and after) them, but it all has to have some kind of system, doesn't it?

    I LOVE the idea of you and your gal pals OWNING the road in that mustard Mustang!

    Poppy xx

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    1. Hello Poppy

      You are right, it is unfair for the young responsible teens of which there are many.

      OWNING the road, is a wonderful way to word how we felt.

      Helen xx

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  22. Sounds like an adventure Helen, however I'm picturing you managing to actually get out of the back seat when you reached your destination. Now ....there's another story I'm thinking, did it involve any yoga positions? ;))))

    Hugs Helen,
    Jane

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    1. Hello Jane

      It was a laughing matter exiting from the back seat. I wish I had remembered my yoga moves!! hee.

      Have a wonderful week

      Helen xx

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  23. Love this song... I hope you were humming all the way in the back seat... even though you were squished... xv

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    1. Hello Vicki

      It is a great song and a good one to sing along to. We had a blast and next time, I will bag the front seat.

      Helen xx

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  24. OH YEAH, MUSTANG SALLY!!! But I prefer to be in a larger vehicle these days! HELEN DEAREST, thank you for visiting. Have a lovely day! Anita

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    1. Dearest Anita

      Always lovely to see your smiling face. There is much to be said for the comfort of a SUV - except filling up at the gas station. Thanks for your good wishes

      Helen xx

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  25. Love Mustang Sally! Same here Helen, insuring young drivers is exorbitant, as we found to our cost when meg started driving. She is now 21 so it's coming down a bit. Great colour on that car.
    Di
    xxxx

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  26. Hello Di

    It is difficult for the young when they come of age, so many obstacles particularly when they want to show they are grown up and have opinions.
    Glad Meg is getting some breaks on insurance.

    To a great week

    Helen xx

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