WASHINGTON—Personal lines auto insurers do not offer a basic insurance policy to safe drivers living in more than one-third of the nation's low-income areas, the Consumer Federation of America said Monday in a new report.

"Our research raises important questions as to whether state-mandated auto insurance is priced fairly and is affordable for many lower-income Americans," said Tom Feltner, CFA's director of financial services and the principal author of the report.  "Drivers need a car to get to work or school. High insurance premiums act to deny these Americans economic opportunity and also help explain why so many lower income Americans drive without insurance," he added.

The CFA identified a policy costing less than $500 annually as the ideal insurers should work toward, and said a 2013 survey showed that 76 percent of Americans believe that such a policy should be made available.

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