Parents: Help Protect Your Teen Driver This Holiday Season

Inexperience and Winter Weather Can Be a Dangerous Combination

GEICO Communications

301-986-3271

Logo: http://www.geico.com

Now deep into the holiday season, it's important for parents to be extra careful when handing off the car keys to their new teen drivers. This month is one of the busiest for travel and newly- licensed teens do not necessarily have the experience needed to navigate through the heavy traffic and weather conditions.

As teens get behind the wheel over the winter break, GEICO has some safety tips to keep teens safe while on the road:

-- Parents, practice driving in all types of weather with your teen; while it's helpful for them to get practical experience in clear weather, they'll need to learn how to handle the car during rain, sleet, snow, etc.

-- Enforce a strict seatbelt policy so that it is second-nature to teens when they turn on the car unsupervised.

-- Teach your new driver how to handle the car in the case of a skid. It's important for teens to know how to act in case of an emergency.

-- Set the example for your teen and drive slowly. Teens learn best by example so be cautious when out and about this season and make sure to leave plenty of room between you and other vehicles.

-- Make sure your teen is prepared for an emergency: have a road- side safety kit in your trunk or car.

For more information on teen safe driving, visit GEICO's Auto Safety Library (http://www.geico.com/information/safety/auto/safety- library/).

GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is the third- largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States based on the latest 12 months written premium. It provides auto insurance coverage for nearly 8.5 million policyholders and insures more than 14.4 million vehicles.

In addition to auto insurance, GEICO offers customers insurance products for their motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATV's), boats, homes, apartments and mobile homes. Commercial auto insurance and personal umbrella protection and life insurance are also available.

As a member of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies, GEICO is rated A++ for financial stability by A.M. Best Company and ranks at the top of several national customer satisfaction surveys. For more information, go to http://www.geico.com.

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