New York drivers will pay almost $515 million less than what auto insurance companies were originally seeking to charge next year, said Governor David A. Paterson, announcing that auto insurance rates for New York drivers will increase by an average of less than 1 percent.
On September 30, the U.S. Department of Transportation released new data showing that July marked the ninth straight month to see a decline in driving nationally. Since last November, Americans have driven 62.6 billion fewer miles than they did over the same period a year earlier – topping the previous peak decline in 1970’s of 49.3 billion miles. In June and July 2008, New Yorkers drove 907 million fewer miles than they did during the same period a year earlier.