Insure.com Ranks Vermont as Least Costly State for Car Insurance Rates

Foster City, CA March 14, 2011 – Insure.com released a national survey today of car insurance rates by state. The rankings reveal above-average rates in Michigan, Louisiana and Oklahoma and lower-than-average car insurance premiums in Vermont and South Carolina. Surprisingly, a consumer’s driving record is not always the biggest factor in determining prices. Instead, Insure.com found that a number of non-driver-related factors have a significant effect on the average cost of car insurance for consumers in different states.

The percentage of uninsured drivers in a given state, along with other factors like weather and state insurance laws, are in large part what determine the average cost of auto insurance premiums.

According to Amy Danise, senior managing editor of Insure.com,

“We often think of car insurance prices strictly in terms of our own personal details, like our driving record and our coverage amount, but Insure.com’s rankings demonstrate how factors like state laws and the judicial system can be the driving force behind high rates.”

Michigan holds the spot as the most expensive place for auto insurance because it’s the only state that guarantees unlimited personal injury protection payments by law, which is very costly for insurance companies. Louisiana is the second most expensive state because of its judicial system, which generally favors individuals--meaning that insurance companies tend to lose in court, again driving up costs for insurers. By comparison, a representative driver in Vermont pays 87 percent less for insurance coverage than the same driver in Michigan because of the lower level of traffic congestion in Vermont and the large number of insurers competing for business.

Vermont Law Makers Mull Med Mal Reform

An Associated Press report in several news outlets indicates that Vermont legislators are seriously considering medical malpractice reform as a way to lower health care costs.

"In debates over health care reform both at the state and federal level, the issue of medical malpractice claims often gets raised, with a particular focus on the defensive medicine doctors are said to perform to prevent potential lawsuits."

The AP reported the chairman of the Judiciary Committee is recommending a study of the malpractice system as a way to lower costs..