Freeport senior shocked by insurance rate hike after coverage lapse

I'm stuck. I don't know what to do. Wayne Schneider says he's lost his independence because the cost of car insurance suddenly became unaffordable. Last year, the 66-year-old was paying a little over $200 per month to insure a Ford Ranger. But after canceling that insurance policy, his price, quote, shot up to more than $1,000 a month. I had a car my whole life. Insurance has always been inexpensive. I have no tickets on my license. This is something really wrong. The nearly five-fold increase happened because Wayne did not have insurance for 10 months. He got rid of his truck because of transmission problems, surrendered his license plates to the DMV, and canceled the policy. Experts say insurance companies will increase your rate if you do not maintain continuous coverage. Even if there's no car to insure. Unfortunately, auto insurance companies have algorithms that evaluate your lapse in coverage for any reason. And they typically are going to charge you more if you don't have continuous auto insurance coverage. Schneider says he started calling elected officials for help and he was guided to the New York State Department of Financial Services. But instead of fixing his problem, he says someone from that agency told him to get a ride with someone else. I said, what am I supposed to do? I can't get to the store. I'm 66. She goes, why don't you take an Uber? I said, take an Uber. We asked the Department of Financial Services for a response. A spokesperson did not address the Uber comment, but did tell me Schneider was provided with information, resources, and options to lower the cost of his coverage. But right now, he might not have many options left with no car and no way to pay his pricey insurance premium. In Freeport, Nassau County, Kevin Vesey, News 12.