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Area Legislators Call for Automobile Insurance Cost Reductions as Drivers Stay Off the Roads
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Five senators and seven House lawmakers, led by Sen. Barry Finegold, want another reduction in automobile insurance rates in light of reduced travel and accidents as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Besides Finegold, area legislators signing the letter to Insurance Commissioner Gary Anderson were Sen. Diana DiZoglio of Methuen and Rep. Christina Minicucci of North Andover. The unadjusted rates, they said, disproportionately impact lower-income communities that have been hit hard by COVID-19 and typically pay higher insurance premiums.
Finegold, an Andover Democrat, said, “Drivers are effectively being punished for heeding public health guidelines and staying off the roads.”
Insurance companies covering 98% of the market offered drivers premium reductions in the spring as a result of people quarantining at home to avoid the virus and not driving as much. But the lawmakers said that relief was not commensurate with the reduction in risk to insurers, who they said continue to benefit from people working from home and observing COVID-19 precautions. The letter was also signed by Sens.