subject: Cheap Auto Insurance Is Increasingly Hard To Find [print this page] There's a remarkable difference between the premium rates charged by insurers in different states. Because there are no national insurers, it's actually quite difficult to compare state with state. But the overall picture is that, without there being much competition in each state, some states can have an average premium rate $1,000 more than the cheapest states. When you ask experts why there should be such wide variations, the answers come in two basic flavors. The first focuses on the legal systems. Some of the most expensive states are no-fault, i.e. everyone must insure their own vehicles and provide adequate cover against medical expenses. Once you add in the mandatory personal injury cover, the total package is always going to cost more. The second reason is the persistent refusal of states to enforce laws relating to driving.
In all but three states, carrying a minimum amount of liability cover is mandatory yet, in many states up to 20% of all the drivers on the roads is driving uninsured. Let's be straightforward about this. If everyone carried insurance, the cost of insurance for everyone would fall. As it is, the law-abiding have to pay more because the chances of being hit by someone uninsured or underinsured is increasingly high. It would be easy to link the computer records to allow the police agencies to check who owns a vehicle but is uninsured. If drivers believe they risk being caught, they are more likely to buy the insurance. Yet, when you listen to many local politicians, they resist allocating more money to the police. They say forcing people to buy insurance is like taxing poor drivers to be on the road. But the number of drivers breaking the law is not restricted to the failure to insure. In a survey last year, more than four million adults admitted to driving while under the influence of drink or drugs. Curiously, one of the sources of information about the consequences of this admission is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its statistics show about one-third of all fatalities has one of the drivers with an excess of alcohol in their blood. In 2009, the CDC estimates more than 11,000 were killed by incapacitated drivers. Given the range of often quite serious penalties if caught, it's revealing how many admit to driving while drunk. Most people believe they will avoid detection. In part, this is the confidence created by the alcohol, but it also reflects the number of police officers actually trying to catch drunk drivers. One the most common results of conviction for DWI/DUI offenses is the rise in the premium rates. In some states like Florida, the local laws increase the mandatory liability minimum as a precondition of being allowed to drive again. In other states, the insurers increase the rates on the basis that, with one conviction proving the driver a danger to other road users, trust has to be earned. This means paying higher premiums and not claiming for three or more years.
Cheap auto insurance would come our way if our politicians allocated proper resources to the police. Enforcing the law would make the roads safer for everyone and the premium rates would fall. Until this happens, the best you can hope for is affordable, not cheap auto insurance.
by: Haz Duell
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