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Drivers are getting a little good news: Auto insurance rates are not going up this year.
This is the second year in a row that the state's auto insurers have not sought a rate increase.
Of course, even when they do ask for an increase companies rarely get what they asked for.
No state insurance commissioner has approved a rate increase in more than 15 years, according to the Department of Insurance.
And while the industry isn't requesting an increase, that's not the final word.
The Department of Insurance staff will review the filing it received from the Rate Bureau, which represents about 150 insurance companies in the state. They could conclude that another decrease in rates is called for. If that happens, the two sides will negotiate to reach a settlement.
That happened in 2009. That year, insurance commissioner Wayne Goodwin ordered a rate decrease of one-half percent. Insurers took it to court and, as they are allowed to do, implement a rate increase. The courts sided with Goodwin and in the end drivers saw refunds totaling more than $50 million.
None of this doesn't mean some drivers won't see an increase. Insurers that have charged less than the maximum rate can raise prices to the maximum level.
