Autos & Manufacturing
Auto insurance premiums also burdensome in rural Michigan
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By MAXWELL EVANS
Capital News Service
LANSING — During a seemingly endless legislative battle over how to rein in the nation’s highest auto insurance premiums, some experts worry about rural Michiganders fleeing the state for cheaper rates. Premiums in urban centers like Detroit are disproportionately high due to non-driving factors, said Wayne Miller, an adjunct professor with the Wayne State University Law School and chair of Miller and Tischler, a law firm specializing in no-fault insurance. Some of these factors disproportionately affect residents based on race or gender, he said. But that’s not to say more sparsely populated areas aren’t burdened with steep costs. An average of premiums in rural and suburban areas across Michigan would still equate to the “eighth- to 10th-highest” in the nation, Miller estimated.