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Driving In Detroit? Expect To Pay Highest Auto Insurance In Country

DETROIT (WWJ) - With auto insurance rates in Detroit among the highest in the nation, some Democratic state legislators say they have ideas for real reform.

There are a lot of problems with the Republican sponsored no fault bill say some Detroit Democrats.

First, they say a savings of $125 per vehicle for one year of auto insurance is not enough when you consider the average cost of car insurance is five thousand dollars in Detroit.

It's just not enough says State Representative Thomas Stallworth, (D-Detroit) not when you consider the real cost of insuring a vehicle in Detroit.

"Detroit's average premium of five thousand dollars is the nation's most expensive and is some twelve hundred dollars higher than second place Philadelphia," he tells WWJ's Marie Osborne.

These Democrats want changes on how auto insurance is calculated .

"Presently, a driver with a DUI and a good credit score gets a better rate than a laid off factory worker with a challenged credit score, who has never had a ticket," said Stallworth.

Often, the cost of insurance exceeds the cost of the vehicle.

Democrats are outlining points of change they'd like to see including: prohibiting the use of a credit score and education to determine a premium and disallowing steerage to collision shops owned by insurance companies.

The number one issue these legislators hear about from their constituents? The high cost of auto insurance.

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