OT Auto insurance rates skyrocketing?

[bill5]

Anyone else?  Mine went up about 30% a year ago and now they are jacking it up another 20% or so ish. My record is (knock on wood) perfect. wth?

[bill5]

OK looks like it's not me - frankly I think this is largely fluff as an excuse to jack up rates https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/13/business/inflation-car-insurance-rate-increases/index.html

[o0Ampy0o]

Insurance is a racket. You pay and pay. Then when you need them to pay for something they raise your rates or even cancel you. Who/what comes close? I think of all the hands in the cookie jar of the housing market. We should be able to call a duck a duck if it quacks. There had to be a conspiracy (there I said it) to create a lucrative career out of buying and selling housing. It is just a sale with some paperwork to process. Even the clerks drive a BMW, Mercedes, Lexus or Audi. The clerks at insurance agencies don’t.

 

Two post-pandemic trends: 1. Price discrepancies between posted and register prices at the grocery store. Everything has gotten so expensive the only way to make money is not telling people how much they are paying for something. For every one noticed many go unnoticed. 2. Fluff marketing where alarmists stimulate buying rampages by running bogus articles about the coming shortage of whatever because of whatever.

[The Real MC]

Mine is due for renewal next month and I pay annually.  Rates went up 33%.  I've heard from many people of the same problem.

[Anderton]

Never had an accident (knock on wood) or even a moving violation in 55 years of driving. But my rates keep going up and up.

 

In addition to pure greed, I think there may be legit reasons. Cars aren't as modular as they once were, so instead of just hammering out a dent, a whole piece of car has to be replaced. Cars are more advanced and sophisticated ("computers on wheels") so the repair costs are much higher.

 

There has also been a huge increase in disaster-related claims from autos being trashed in floods, hurricanes, hailstorms, having trees fall on them, etc.

 

Finally, The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year, and approximately 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving. Welcome to idiocracy.

 

 

 

[ProfD]

6 hours ago, Anderton said:

Cars are more advanced and sophisticated ("computers on wheels") so the repair costs are much higher.

 

Finally, The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year, and approximately 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving. Welcome to idiocracy.

Agreed that car technology, accidents and driving habits have raised our rates collectively.

 

There's nothing active drivers can do about it other than stop driving. 

 

Idiocracy is a hilarious movie. Thankfully, we're not quite there yet.🤣😎

[bill5]

7 hours ago, Anderton said:

Never had an accident (knock on wood) or even a moving violation in 55 years of driving. But my rates keep going up and up.

 

In addition to pure greed, I think there may be legit reasons. Cars aren't as modular as they once were, so instead of just hammering out a dent, a whole piece of car has to be replaced. Cars are more advanced and sophisticated ("computers on wheels") so the repair costs are much higher.

 

There has also been a huge increase in disaster-related claims from autos being trashed in floods, hurricanes, hailstorms, having trees fall on them, etc.

 

Finally, The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year, and approximately 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving. Welcome to idiocracy.

So we're paying at least in part for other people's stupidity. Great. 

 

Idiocracy was to me funny, sad, and exasperating at the same time, as there's so much truth to the underlying premise, even if it was of course highly exaggerated.

[Anderton]

1 hour ago, ProfD said:

Idiocracy is a hilarious movie. Thankfully, we're not quite there yet.🤣😎

 

A couple friends have told me they couldn't find it. I said it used to be in the comedy section, but now it's under documentaries.

[Stokely]

I read something that if you hadn't had an accident in a long while, they figure you are about due based on averages...sounds feasible, but so do many conspiracy theories and I can't remember where I read that!  

I work from home and could possibly make do without a car, sharing my wife's or the one my now-going-to-be-driving youngest son will be using.  It sucks to switch vehicles but I'm sure I'd train myself to not leave anything personal in the car, think of it like a rental   Only time I really need one these days, and there might be conflicts over it, would be weekend gigs.  

Look at the "bright" side, it's not nearly as awful and convoluted and multilayered with greed as the American health/insurance/pharmaceutical morass!

[KuruPrionz]

I just paid for the next six months. Clean record for decades, nothing major ever. 

Price was much higher than the last bill. I have some time to consider a new way of living. 

 

I am a relatively short walk away from 4 grocery stores, a hardware store and other amenities. A tote-dolly and a bicycle (or even a 3 wheeler with a luggage basket) would cover most of my excursions. 

 

I live downtown, there are bus stops going in both directions about 100 yards from my home. We have an excellent bus system in town and beyond. 

Currently, unlimited bus riding is $15 a month, I can go up to the Canadian border and down well into Skagit county on that bus pass. It will likely go up, maybe $20 or $25 monthly. 12 x $25 is $300 annually, my six months of insurance was $467. Add in gasoline, tires, risk, etc. and there is no comparison price-wise. The bus takes longer in general but I wouldn't have maintenance costs (gas, oil, tires, wiper blades, etc.) or parking issues. There are 31 bus routes in Whatcom County, Bellingham is the central hub for all of them. Buses run from 6-ish am to 10:30-ish pm, not as late as larger cities but most transportation needs would be very cost effective and an occasional taxi would still keep my annual costs well below what they are going to be now. I wouldn't be responsible for driving either, you can be the best driver in the world and some drunk driver may still plow into your vehicle and change your life forever. 

 

I rarely go to Seattle but Amtrak is about $60 round trip and I used it the last time I went. It's not as fast but the stress level of Seattle freeway driving is something I don't mind avoiding. Sibling visits require plane tickets, Connecticut, Utah and Southern California are all less expensive and much faster flying compared to driving. 

 

I'm considering the transition, I've got six months to put things in place before my next insurance bill. 

[bill5]

Yeah definitely worth considering in your case. I'm in the boonies so I do need a car. I don't think I have any choice but to suck it up. sigh

[KuruPrionz]

10 minutes ago, bill5 said:

Yeah definitely worth considering in your case. I'm in the boonies so I do need a car. I don't think I have any choice but to suck it up. sigh

I used to live well out of town and there are many aspects to love about that. I've gotten used to being a city dweller and certainly transportation convenience is a factor. 

[ToddP]

On 9/25/2023 at 11:41 AM, Anderton said:

Never had an accident (knock on wood) or even a moving violation in 55 years of driving. But my rates keep going up and up.

 

In addition to pure greed, I think there may be legit reasons. Cars aren't as modular as they once were, so instead of just hammering out a dent, a whole piece of car has to be replaced. Cars are more advanced and sophisticated ("computers on wheels") so the repair costs are much higher.

 

There has also been a huge increase in disaster-related claims from autos being trashed in floods, hurricanes, hailstorms, having trees fall on them, etc.

 

Finally, The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year, and approximately 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving. Welcome to idiocracy.

 

 

 

Add to that the 50,000 injury lawyers in every city. Every crash results in a lawsuit with rediculous lawyer fees. 

[Anderton]

2 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

I just paid for the next six months. Clean record for decades, nothing major ever. 

Price was much higher than the last bill. I have some time to consider a new way of living. 

 

I am a relatively short walk away from 4 grocery stores, a hardware store and other amenities. A tote-dolly and a bicycle (or even a 3 wheeler with a luggage basket) would cover most of my excursions. 

 

I live downtown, there are bus stops going in both directions about 100 yards from my home. We have an excellent bus system in town and beyond. 

Currently, unlimited bus riding is $15 a month, I can go up to the Canadian border and down well into Skagit county on that bus pass. It will likely go up, maybe $20 or $25 monthly. 12 x $25 is $300 annually, my six months of insurance was $467. Add in gasoline, tires, risk, etc. and there is no comparison price-wise. The bus takes longer in general but I wouldn't have maintenance costs (gas, oil, tires, wiper blades, etc.) or parking issues. There are 31 bus routes in Whatcom County, Bellingham is the central hub for all of them. Buses run from 6-ish am to 10:30-ish pm, not as late as larger cities but most transportation needs would be very cost effective and an occasional taxi would still keep my annual costs well below what they are going to be now. I wouldn't be responsible for driving either, you can be the best driver in the world and some drunk driver may still plow into your vehicle and change your life forever. 

 

I rarely go to Seattle but Amtrak is about $60 round trip and I used it the last time I went. It's not as fast but the stress level of Seattle freeway driving is something I don't mind avoiding. Sibling visits require plane tickets, Connecticut, Utah and Southern California are all less expensive and much faster flying compared to driving. 

 

I'm considering the transition, I've got six months to put things in place before my next insurance bill. 

 

What a rational post

[Polychrest]

Here in the greater Toronto area, one of the biggest drivers of higher car insurance prices is an escalating vehicle theft epidemic.  Well-organized gangs of tech-savvy thieves have solved keyless entry systems.  They hack/clone unshielded key fobs from a distance and steal vehicles from owners’ driveways in minutes.  Multiple containers full of hot SUVs, F150s and luxury sedans are shipped from Montreal to Asia and Africa every week.  Several large insurance companies have announced hefty theft surcharges for renewing policyholders.   They’re advising us to park in garages if possible and use highly-visible after-market steering wheel immobilizers and other old-school anti-theft systems.  At least one police force has offered free Faraday bags to safely store key fobs at home.

[Mike Martin]

Ours just went up, nearly double. We did replace a 12 year old car with a 3 year old car but the increase was insane. So we just switched to a new provider this week. The Home Insurance is a little bit more but the Auto is only up a little over what we were paying previously.

[ProfD]

On 9/29/2023 at 3:13 PM, Polychrest said:

Here in the greater Toronto area, one of the biggest drivers of higher car insurance prices is an escalating vehicle theft epidemic.

Instead of law enforcement placing a greater emphasis on preventing auto theft, consumers have to bear the burden of paying higher insurance rates while still paying taxes.  That's ridiculous.🙄😎

[Anderton]

7 hours ago, ProfD said:

Instead of law enforcement placing a greater emphasis on preventing auto theft

 

I'm not sure that's the issue. Some cars can have their security system defeated in under a minute, and then people drive off. No way a cop's response time can beat that. I think it's the car manufacturers who need to place a greater emphasis on preventing auto theft.

[KuruPrionz]

10 minutes ago, Anderton said:

 

I'm not sure that's the issue. Some cars can have their security system defeated in under a minute, and then people drive off. No way a cop's response time can beat that. I think it's the car manufacturers who need to place a greater emphasis on preventing auto theft.

Also, some cars are simply dragged into the cargo area of a truck, dismantled in a garage somewhere and the parts are sold. 

You are correct that an experienced auto thief does not take long to steal a vehicle. I drive ugly old cars and the interiors are messy with random stuffs. Nobody will steal them because they aren't worth much $$$ but they get me around. It's safer to leave a guitar in the trunk too. Ugly cars for the win!!!! 🙂

[bill5]

A bit off topic perhaps, but if you're vacationing in the tropics and rent a car, NEVER leave anything you care about in the trunk (or any place other than a hotel room/safe) thinking it's safe. 

[ProfD]

2 hours ago, Anderton said:

 

I'm not sure that's the issue. Some cars can have their security system defeated in under a minute, and then people drive off. No way a cop's response time can beat that. 

Law enforcement can create task forces to break up auto theft rings. They do it for drugs.

 

I'm referring to the auto theft  outfits that are stealing and shipping vehicles overseas.

 

I'm also being slightly rhetorical because the real truth could be political. 😎

[Anderton]

4 hours ago, ProfD said:

I'm referring to the auto theft  outfits that are stealing and shipping vehicles overseas.

 

I'm also being slightly rhetorical because the real truth could be political. 😎

 

Got it - you're not talking about the lone wolf types.

[o0Ampy0o]

6 hours ago, KuruPrionz said:

Ugly cars for the win!!!! 🙂

 

I'll take my chances with pretty cars. :-))