Technology Being Blamed for Driving Up Massachusetts Car Insurance Rates

Auto insurance rates in Massachusetts are on the rise and technology is to blame.

Industry experts tell The Boston Globe that drivers distracted by smartphones are crashing more often and those cars are now more expensive to repair because they’re loaded with on-board sensors and other gadgets.

Some of the largest auto insurers in Massachusetts have received approval from state regulators to raise rates on average by between 3 and 6 percent this year.

Mapfre USA Corp., with more than a million policy holders in Massachusetts, plans to raise premiums by an average of nearly 4 percent. Liberty Mutual Insurance Cos., with nearly 300,000 customers, plans average rate increases of more than 5 percent.

Massachusetts drivers paid an average premium of $1,108 in 2014, the most recent data available.

Information from: The Boston Globe