MIAMI VALLEY — If your car insurance rates are increasing, you are not alone. It is also not your fault.
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As reported on News Center 7 Daybreak, you are mostly paying for other drivers’ mistakes!
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News Center 7′s Letitia Perry explains why you are responsible and what you can do to save money.
When you are on the road, you can’t help what happens around or right in front of you.
“And there’s a pedestrian walking against the light with her phone. Hey, that might be a problem,” said Kenton Brine, President of the NW Insurance Council.
He looked at what your car insurance premium is paying for, and bad drivers were at the top of the list.
“When you pay for insurance, you’re not paying for what might have happened to you. You’re paying for what is already happening out there in the world.”
Perry reports that the average cost of full coverage in Ohio is $1,782 for full coverage and $468 for minimum coverage, according to Bankrate.com.
“The average cost of car insurance in Ohio rounds out to about $148 per month for full coverage and just $39 per month for minimum coverage,” said Bankrate.com. “The average rate for full coverage car insurance in Ohio is roughly 40 percent less than the national average of $2,678.”
We spoke with two drivers in very different situations that you could be in.
Perry says a clean driving record does not get you off the hook.
“In June – $1,600. And then it went up, you know, a couple hundred dollars in another six months,” said Erika Weaver.
She showed us how her full-coverage premium increased in the past year-and-a-half.
Her bill comes every six months.
Weaver paid $1,173 in June 2023, $1,336 in December 2023, $1,602 in June 2024, and $1,833 in December 2024.
She drives four cars, two of which she drives regularly, but one is very expensive. That is a 2015 Kia Soul.
“I got the upgrade that I need for the key lock ignition. I got the steering wheel lock. What else are you going to do? They want it. They want it. They’re going to take it,” said Weaver.
Brine said Weaver took the right steps toward lowering her rates.
Certain modes like Kias have received a bad rap for often being stolen, which experts say has spiked insurance prices across the board.
Brine said it is not always a dead end for Kia owners.
“Most insurers continued to write coverage for those vehicles, and they might have said something like, yes, we’ll continue to underwrite this, but you have to show evidence that you’ve taken some steps to protect your vehicle from theft.”
Perry asks what if you have an older car with no accidents and liability insurance.
“I got it in April 2010, so it’ll be almost 15 years old.”
Arlene Plevin is proof that you can’t escape the inevitable.
“I found an old bill that was due in January 2023, and it’s roughly $400 less than what I paid,” she said.
Perry reports that Plevin expects to pay more than $1,600 this year. She also drives less than 5,000 miles a year.
“It’s going to last a little bit longer, but I don’t know if at my age I’ll be able to afford insurance on it. It’s just so shocking,” said Plevin.
Brine said there are some ways you can cut back on your bill.
- Get quotes from multiple insurers and buy only what you need.
- Brine said it is best to find what works best for you.
These are the steepest driver-caused setbacks that will cost you, according to Bankrate.com.
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