Auto insurance in 2022: What the industry should expect

Insurers should expect higher claims, on average. In modern cars, sensitive technologies such as cameras and radar are mounted on the exterior, such as in the bumper. (Credit: GITTI.NUNCHO/Shutterstock.com)

Change was a key theme for auto insurance during 2021. After auto usage and road volume declined to unprecedented lows in 2020 due to the pandemic, motorists have significantly increased how often they drive and even changed their driving behavior as public health measures have loosened. These changes have had a major effect on auto insurance carriers, and unfortunately, following an extremely volatile two years, there’s little indication that 2022 will bring much in the way of stability.

If you do much driving, you’ve probably thought that other drivers were not being quite as careful as they were before the pandemic. The data supports this impression. According to a large survey on distracted driving, 4 in 10 motorists said they use their iPhone while behind the wheel, a 13.7% increase over 2020, and more than half (55%) of Android users said the same, a 2.7% increase.