Letter: Insurance costs make it difficult for young people to stay in Michigan

on July 25, 2012 at 8:57 AM

Recently, my son bought his first car on his own and is very proud. His auto payments are right where he needed them to be (affordable).

The next step was to purchase full coverage insurance. We walked into the insurance office, took our seats in front of the sales person and were hit straight in the chest with a 10-ton cement block. My son, who will be starting his second year at SVSU, is being penalized because of others.

The address on his license is my address, where he grew up and where my wife and I live. He actually resides near the college. Upon giving his address, we found out his insurance would be very steep in price. This is due to me hitting a deer last November and my wife sliding off the road last February.

So he gave the address where he actually resides. One or two of his fraternity brothers have speeding tickets. This also made his insurance cost skyrocket.

My next question was,"What if he still lived on campus? Does that mean 25,000 other students at that address would have an effect on his insurance.?” No straight answer was given. 

Why is a 19-year-old being penalized for others that reside at the same address? The agency's answer is because everyone in the household has access to his auto. The individuals living with my son will not be sharing cars, nor would 25,000 others living on campus.

It is no wonder so many of our children are moving out of Michigan upon graduation from college. A person cannot afford to live in this state. Give young people some sort of break when it comes to insuring their auto. Once they are out of college and in the work force, then the state and the insurance companies can steal the shirts right off their backs.