September 01, 2014 1 min read

High Price of Mandatory Auto Insurance for Lower Income Households

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For most Americans, access to the best job for which one is qualified requires ownership of a car. As a result, car ownership among low- and moderate-income (LMI) households is high. According to a 2001 government survey, 65 percent of low-income households – those in the first income quintile – and 86 percent of moderate-income households – those in the second income quintile – own a car. Recent government data on household gas consumption confirms that large majorities of LMI households drive a car, with 72.7 percent and 89.5 percent of households in the first quintile and second income quintiles, respectively, spending money on gas.

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