TAMPA, Fla. — Dylan Spencer said the phone rarely stops ringing at Brightway Insurance Agency in the Trinity/Odessa area of Pasco County.
“The calls right now are at an all-time high. Everybody is calling wondering, hey, is there anything I can do to save money,” said Spencer.
Spencer said for many people, it's tough to save money, but there are ways.
One of the biggest discounts can be from Telematics.
It’s the method of collecting information about your mileage and driving habits.
“They want to see how much you are using your phone. Texting, Spotify, Facebook while you are driving because the distracting driving is leading to a lot more accidents,” said Spencer.
In the past many people were hesitant about sharing that information with their insurance company.
But now, more and more are willing to do it to save whatever they can.
“You got families of four that are paying $1000 a month, 10-15% adds up a lot, so it’s definitely becoming more common,” said Spencer.
Florida has the nation’s highest average car insurance premium, up 24% from a year ago, forcing one woman we found to give up on driving altogether.
“I crashed my car, and I feel like my insurance would be way too high,” said Baylee Moroney.
Other ways to save include switching to paperless bills, qualifying for a safe driver discount, company loyalty, and even having a good credit score.
Safety features can get you discounts, but they also cost you more.
“In the past, it used to be if you needed a bumper replacement it was maybe $1000-$1500. Now that cost it double sometimes triple what it was because there are cameras, sensors, you got to recalibrate those things,” said Spencer.
Mark Friedlander with Florida’s Insurance Information Institute says some of the reasons why insurance in Florida is so high are increased replacement costs and high rates of accidents and driving fatalities.
He does suggest shopping around.
“Auto insurance is the most competitive insurance market in the country, meaning there are more companies writing auto insurance and wanting your business than any other type of insurance product,” said Friedlander.
A high number of vehicle thefts and insurance fraud in Florida are also cause for high rates.
There are other discounts available depending on your occupation or if your school-age driver is a good student.
Friedlander said to get at least three quotes.
“If your insurance company is raising your rate and is not offering a variety of discounts that will help you control the costs, it might be time to shop.”
