Insuring a car in the city of Detroit is ridiculously fucking expensive and it forces a lot of us to drive less-than-exciting vehicles just to get from point A to point B. Rates are among the highest, if not the highest, in the country. Detroit's new mayor is looking to alleviate that.
Rates are higher in Detroit because of high crime and terrible roads leading to more claims, the fact that Michigan is a no-fault state and, probably what we don't talk about the most, is how insurance agencies use credit scoring to determine rates. Detroit is still being hit hard with economic repercussions, and that's reflected in many drivers' credit reports.
But Detroit's city charter allows the city to create its own insurance agency available to residents, something Mayor Mike Duggan hopes to take advantage of. During Duggan's first State of The City address last night, he briefly outlined a plan for "D-Insurance," which is still in an exploratory phase.
"It doesn't matter if you have a perfect driving record and never been in an accident, most Detroiters are paying more a month for car insurance than they are for the car payment itself," Duggan says.
Detroiters all over social media were turnt up really excited about this, but let me be the first to say that I won't hold my breath for this to happen anytime soon. First off, it wouldn't be the first time a city politician has made a wide-reaching promise for a change like this; I still remember ex-City Council President Charles Pugh saying that the entire city would have free wi-fi. Five years later, I'm still paying Comcast every month.
Second, I'd think if the city wants to get its transportation issues in order for residents, they need to start with adding buses (and making them safer) first and get the ball rolling on the light rail system that we've been talking about for like a million years now.
I can't think of a single city anywhere with its own insurance program, so if someone could point me to a successful example, that'd be greatly appreciated. Since we're on the subject, if you're curious about which cars are the most stolen in Detroit, they include the 2000 Dodge Caravan, the 2005 Chevrolet Impala and the 2012 Chevrolet Malibu.