Car insurance most costly for Michiganders, research finds

"If you're going to get in a car accident and you're going to get injured, you want it to be in Michigan," said attorney Michael Morse.

Morse deals with accident victims all day long.  He's talking about no fault insurance.  It's a blessing on the roads that you could say is a curse on your wallet.

CarInsuranceQuotes.com put Michigan as being the most expensive in the nation for car insurance when median cost and median household income are factored into the equation.  One of the reasons is because of what you are paid when you're injured.

"We're the only state in the country that has unlimited medical benefits.  No matter what your injury is, you will get the rehabilitation you need here in Michigan."

"I can't afford a new car.  Can't afford the car insurance.  You can't get a new car with no car insurance.  That's the law," one man remarked.

Detroiters will tell you the bill is crashing their bottom lines.

"Paid $3,500 to $4,000 for just me and my wife, and I'm 62 years old," another said.

High insurance is why Parts Galore on Eight Mile in Detroit is doing so well.  Can't afford the collision insurance?  You go there, pick out a part and slap it on yourself.  It's the only way for some Detroiters.

So what can you do?  Morse said start with shopping around and asking for discounts.  If you have an old car that's on its way out, maybe you don't need collision coverage.  You could drop it, Morse said.  Also, check what's on your policy line by line with your insurance company and find out what you may and may not need.

"Look to see if you have any incidentals on the policy that you don't need.  Sit down with your agent.  Have them go line item by line item and see if you actually need every benefit that you're paying for.  Also, lastly, raising your deductible is a really good way to lower your insurance."

Morse said low credit scores are another reason for the high insurance rates in some parts of the state, including Detroit.  So in order to pay less for insurance, try to get that score back up.

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