I know that auto insurance is a very good idea, and required by law in most states. I have had insurance since I got my first car 27 years ago. For the first couple of years, before Texas required auto insurance, I was able to get insurance pretty easily, though it was expensive.

"Don't worry," the agent said. "When you hit 25, the rates will go down. You young kids are reckless."

When I hit 24, I bought a slightly newer car and paid the same amount in insurance. Then the state passed insurance laws. Since I was under 28, I had to go into an insurance pool to get insurance. Once I left the safety of our friendly neighborhood insurance agent, my rates went up.

At 30, I bought a newer car, and guess what! My rates went up. True I had moved to Austin, but when I moved back home, with the same car, my rates didn't go down.

I haven't had an accident since I was 17 (except I did hit a deer when I was 22 that caused some damage), nor a ticket since I was 20. Do my rates go down? Nope. They go up every year.

And if Universal coverage is the law, why do we buy Uninsured Motorist coverage? Shouldn't the law require someone who let their insurance lapse to pay for the damage inflicted to my car?

I pay in about $1000 (rounded up) a year for insurance and haven't had a claim in 20 years. When do I get a break?

It strikes me that insurance is like gambling. I'm betting the insurance company that I will have a wreck, and I can't win unless I have it. And even then, they may not pay off.

Can you tell it's time to make my monthly insurance payment?