Are You Being Blindsided?

With automobile insurance premiums on the rise, it is important to be aware of your options at renewal time.

By Rob Foote

Automobile insurance premiums in the construction industry have been on the rise since April of 2016. Most insurance providers feel the need for harder conditions in the auto insurance market is overdue, both personal and commercial auto policies are noticing the effects. And due to contributing factors that include the high costs of claims, increasing costs of vehicle repairs and unsafe driving behaviors. Automobile insurance costs are increasing across the board, regardless of individual performance ratings/loss ratios achieved by roofing contractors.

More Drivers on the Road Thanks to low gasoline prices and rising employment rates, more Americans are driving. As a result, there are more accidents, which lead to higher payouts. Higher payouts lead to higher premiums.

The cause of more accidents isn't entirely because more drivers are on the road-it is because of drivers' unsafe driving practices. According to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, about 87 percent of drivers admitted to engaging in at least one risky behavior while behind the wheel in the first quarter of 2017, including using cellphones while driving and not wearing seat belts.

Claims Severity Adding to the causes of the hardening market is the increasing size of insurance claims-also known as claim severity. Three large drivers of claim severity include the increase in the costs of medical care, auto repair and auto parts. According to a recent study by CarMD, the largest repair cost comes from replacing the expensive technology that is common in newer vehicles, as body shops struggle to afford the special equipment and training required to perform the repairs.

Uninsured Motorist Although auto liability insurance is compulsory in most states, over 13 percent of drivers drive uninsured. Unfortunately, it is the drivers who abide by compulsory insurance laws who end up paying the price-in the form of uninsured motorist coverage. According to the Insurance Research Council, uninsured claim payments have increased by 75 percent over the past 10 years.

Roofing Risk Advisors has mastered a fleet risk reduction approach that is positively impacting our clients' operating results.

With automobile insurance premiums on the rise, it is important to be aware of your options at renewal time. Contact Roofing Risk Advisors to help you keep your premiums as low in a hard market.

Rob Foote is with Roofing Risk Advisors, a Division of Frank H. Furman, Inc. Contact him at www.roofingriskadvisors.com .