Especially since auto insurance is something you can get online (or via the phone, if you are old fashioned) anywhere in the country from anyone else in the country.

Alas lots of regulations that are supposedly in favour of the customer don't really do very much despite good intentions, when there's a lack of competition.

For example, British grocery shopping was priding itself on being very competitive (it wasn't), got constantly dinged by their regulator for stupid stuff; but only really woke up once Aldi and Lidl showed up on the scene and gave them a run for their money.

Similar with British retail banking. It used to be really awful. For example, they charged you extra fees if you were poor enough that occasionally you didn't have enough money for your standing orders to succeed. (Instead of just failing the standing order, they failed them and charged you.)

Their regulator told them off and fined them repeatedly. But without changing anything much.

The recent arrival of new challenger banks like Monzo seems to be making a difference, though.