With a final score of 34-13, the Michigan State Wolverines rolled over the Washington Huskies earlier this month, winning the College Football Playoff National Championship and earning its place as the number-one team in the country. As proud as Michigan may be to be number one in college football, residents are probably less excited about the other thing Michigan is number one in — car insurance rates. According to the Detroit Metro Times, on average, Michiganders pay $3,643 a year, which is 81 percent higher than the national average.
With its high risk of hurricanes, flooding and other drivers, you would think that honor would go to the state of Florida, but that’s not the case. Florida’s car insurance premiums continue to climb for all the previously mentioned reasons, but at least for now, it’s still not yet number one. Florida is also not alone in this regard, with car insurance premiums increasing significantly across the country. Michigan, however, is an outlier here, with its average insurance premium dropping 18 percent since 2021. And that’s still not enough to knock the state from the top spot.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer was able to make that happen by signing a 2019 law that no longer required drivers to pay for unlimited personal injury protection. That change alone was responsible for an average savings of $787 a year. Still, Michigan rates remain as high as they are due to the state’s no-fault insurance requirement which means that, after a crash, your insurance pays for any medical treatment you may need regardless of whether or not you caused the accident.
The state legislature is reportedly considering making additional changes to the state’s car insurance laws later this year with the goal of bringing down insurance rates even further. Don’t expect lawmakers to scrap the entire no-fault requirement, but hopefully, for the good of the residents, they’re able to cut costs even further.
