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.

The claims data just didn't support an increase, said Ray Evans, general manager of the N.C. Rate Bureau, which represents 142 insurance companies that write auto policies in North Carolina

Evans said the frequency and severity of accidents has been stable over the past few years. He credited people driving less frequently, improved car safety and more active law enforcement - particularly the ticketing of people who text while driving.

"Those things have an impact, and we're seeing the graduated driver license training continue to have an effect. ... The fatality rate has dropped dramatically," he said. "The end result is that with things stable there does not appear to be any need for an increase."

That doesn't mean some people won't see an increase. Some companies may not be charging the maximum allowed and will be able to raise rates.

The average annual premium in North Carolina was $595 in 2008, the most recent data available from the Insurance Information Institute.

The Rate Bureau does not get the last word. That belongs to Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin. And no state insurance commissioner has approved an auto insurance rate increase in 15 years, according to the Department of Insurance.

The DOI staff will review the Rate Bureau's filing and could conclude that a rate decrease is needed. If that happens, the two sides will negotiate to reach a settlement.

That happened in 2009. Insurers had requested a 1.4 percent increase. But Goodwin ordered a rate decrease of one-half percent. Insurers appealed that decision, and in the meantime, as they are allowed to do, implemented a rate increase. After the settlement, insurers had to refund more than $50 million.