Alabama drivers frustrated by rising car insurance rates

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) – Auto insurance rates are expected to continue increasing this year, with Alabama projected to rise by 18%.

According to AAA, these hikes are nothing new as car insurance rates have been increasing annually for the last several years.

“Typically, the reason that we see that happen is because of an increase in the cost of repairing a vehicle,” AAA spokesman Clay Ingram said. “That’s a big factor in determining what your rates are and then it just seems like our crash rates aren’t getting much better from one year to the next either and that’s certainly part of that same equation.”

AAA recommends “shopping” for insurance rates every two to three years because each company uses a different formula to figure out coverage. What works best for one person may not be the best option for everyone.

“Sometimes you have to grit your teeth when you write that check out and it’s not fun but the more money that we spend on things like that, the less money we have to spend on some of the fun things in our life,” Ingram said. “It makes it hard for a lot of people, especially with the minimum wage being where it is right now and all these other day-to-day expenses being higher.”

Many people are already having to tighten their belts to keep up with the cost of living and climbing auto insurance rates don’t help the budget. Many drivers say they’re feeling the fatigue of these insurance costs rising but that there’s nothing they can do.

“How does it make me feel? Like you just ruined my weekend,” Birmingham resident Jermyko Wilson said. “I’m kidding but still I’m not happy about it.”

Some drivers say they’ve already recently switched insurance companies because of the rising costs.

“I really like my insurance company but they just couldn’t really do anything about the rates going up so it’s kind of out of their control from what I was told. So I just had to switch to make ends meet,” Birmingham resident Rebekah Odle said. “No hard feelings against anybody that works in those insurance companies, I just had to do what was best for me.”

Some drivers say the increasing rates are frustrating because it’s something that has to be paid for to legally drive.

“It’s more money out my pocket. That’s never a good thing,” Wilson said. “Car insurance is a scam. It costs too much for what it is and I mean, you don’t get into an accident every month.”

AAA says it has no plans to increase auto insurance rates through this year.

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