This is why some drivers pay more for car insurance than others with a worse driving record: ‘I think it’s unfair’

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. – While the cost of car insurance is skyrocketing across the board, some drivers are paying more for reasons you might not expect. Consumer watchdogs say some of Florida’s safest drivers, like Danny Williams, are being unfairly punished.

Williams lives in New Port Richey and has worked as a professional driver for the past 40 years, driving clients and business people in vans and limousines.

He said he’s never had an accident.

Meanwhile, Augie Mauser had a serious accident as a young driver and said he had some minor fender benders afterward.

They had similar insurance coverage and owned the same type of vehicles. However, FOX 13 learned that Mauser got a discount on his car insurance, while Williams took a hit: $92 per month for Mauser, versus $160 per month for Williams.

READ: Travel Tuesday 2024: Here’s when it is and how to get the best deals

Like many drivers, Williams has something working against him. He has not completed his studies and has a job as a laborer. That can drive up the price of car insurance, even if the record is spotless.

“It is very wrong and it hurts me very much,” he said. “The system is broken.”

Meanwhile, Mauser has been promoted and has a cigar business, and since there have been no recent accidents, he has gotten a better deal.

“I think it’s unfair,” Mauser said of seeing how his numbers compared to Williams’.

Years ago, a state study compared rates for white-collar workers such as doctors and engineers with blue-collar workers such as mechanics. It found that the average mechanic makes three times as much, and the Consumer Federation of America found a similar gap in their more recent survey.

READ: Retailers quietly offer “refunds without returns” but don’t expect them to explain it

“This distorts the market. It’s not an accurate measure of how risky it is to insure someone,” said Michael Delong, a researcher at the Consumer Federation of America.

The rates for Williams and Mauser mentioned above are not current.

FOX 13 first interviewed them a decade ago, and the $92 per month price for Mauser and the $160 per month price for Williams were from 2014.

Since that time, Williams has remained accident-free, while Mauser had one auto insurance claim due to a tree branch that scraped the top of his vehicle.

Still, the disparity in car insurance rates since 2014 persists, with Williams consistently paying at least $70 more per month. Williams paid at least $8,400 more.

Mauser’s PhD in psychology has paid off more than he thought, and he says more than is necessary when it comes to insurance.

The insurance industry says companies tend to charge drivers like Williams more based on data and statistics.

“The insurance companies claim that they have done studies and tests and found that education level is related to how risky you are to insure,” DeLong explains. “But when we asked if you could show us the evidence and data for that, they mostly just shut up and said we don’t want to share that because it’s proprietary information.”

Mauser said Williams could have used an additional $8,400 for his children’s education.

Ironically, Williams took out an $8,400 loan to help put his son through college, accruing thousands in interest during the repayment.

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: