Smart Auto Insurance Blog

Everyone knows that driving while intoxicated is extremely dangerous and against the law, but what many may not realize is that it’s very expensive as well.  According to the article “Driving Under the Influence is Expensive As Well As Dangerous” by the Kalamazoo Gazette Staff found on mlive.com, drinking and driving violations are the most expensive of all traffic violations.

According to insurance.com, DUIs can shoot auto insurance rates up by as much as 38%.  Their RateWatch Data shows that the lowest rate quoted to someone with a DUI was $2148 in 2009 across the country.  That is about $435 more than a driver who does not have a DUI. 

Not only are you putting your life at risk as well as other people on the road if you drive drunk, but you will most likely have your license suspended if you are caught and you will have to file a SR22 Insurance form, which is a certificate submitted to the Secretary of State proving that you have liability insurance.

According to insurance.com’s monthly Car Insurance Rate Watch Report, average car insurance rates in March decreased in 19 states (compared with February).   Rates were higher in 15 states on average and basically unchanged in 13 states.

The 5 states that enjoyed the largest rate decrease in March were:

1. Arizona
2. Virginia
3. New Hampshire
4. Texas
5. Georgia

The 5 states where average car insurance rates increased the most in March were:

1. South Dakota
2. Nebraska
3. Minnesota
4. Maine
5. West Virginia

In addition, insurance.com found that two-thirds of March auto insurance shoppers were seeking a new policy because their rate was too high, or they received their bill and the rate had gone up.

According to insurance.com’s monthly RateWatch report for February:

• 21 states saw lower auto insurance rates on average vs. January
• 9 states experienced higher auto insurance rates on average.
• The remaining 20 states were either not included in the study (New York and Massachusetts) or experienced no significant changes in rates vs. the previous month.
• The 3 states with the highest rate increases included (Iowa 6.2%, Wyoming 5.4%, Utah 4.1%)
• The 3 states with the largest rate decreases included (Vermont 11.8%, DC 8.6%, Nebraska 7.0%)

Overall, auto insurance rates nationally fell to their lowest points since May, 2008, after an 8% increase for calender year 2008.

Insweb has followed the lead of smartautoinsurance.com and insurance.com and has launched a device to track auto insurance rate trends.  While insurance.com provides a monthy report, and we at smartautoinsurance.com maintain a daily auto insurance rate blog that keeps track of auto insurance rate trends on a more detailed level, insweb has announced the launch of an online tool that tracks the median price of an auto insurance policy on both a state and local level.

Insweb’s calculation is based on regularly updated auto insurance quote information from leading national auto insurance carriers as well as comprehensive profiles of InsWeb auto insurance shoppers. By tracking those quoted rates over time, they can deliver a “trend line” that should provide directional accuracy.

The tool will be available to the public via select partner sites of theirs.

Insurance.com recently announced, via press release, the addition of Infinity Insurance Company to their stable of auto insurers on their platform.

Infinity Insurance will offer comparison car insurance quotes in California both online and by phone, and joins Insurance.com’s impressive group of insurance companies, which now numbers 15.

Other top companies that participate in Insurance.com’s comparison quoting engine include: Hartford, Liberty Mutual, Progressive, Safeco, Travelers and many other leading car insurance companies.