Car insurance is required to drive in Illinois, but the Illinois Secretary of State's office said so many people can't afford the insurance that they're risking driving without any coverage these days.

Many drivers are as frustrated with the unexplained spike in their auto insurance as they are with congestion on the roads.

"The rate's going up, man, and you know, it's just ridiculous." said Ron Ray. "I remember I used to pay like $120-something. Now I'm up to $180, and I'm like, man, this don't make no sense."

Ray is 60, and can't figure out why his rates keep creeping up with his age.

"I understand young people's insurance is high, but older folks, come on," said Ray. "I've been driving about 30 years, ain't never had an accident."

Yet his rates have gone up rather than down.

Ray falls into a category that so many living in certain ZIP codes face — higher rates because of where they live.

"That's not right," said Justin Turner. "You shouldn't be charging people extra based off where they live.  I mean, everybody's trying to make a living."

Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias agrees. On Wednesday night, he held the first of several virtual townhalls on the topic, which spreads beyond just ZIP codes.

"A safe driver with a poor credit score will pay more — about $862 per year more — than a driver with excellent credit who has a DUI," Giannoulias said. "Let that sink in."

The Illinois Secretary of State's Driving Change campaign is aimed at preventing insurance companies from using socioeconomic data such as credit scores, ZIP codes, and age to charge Illinoisans higher auto insurance rates.

"They said every time your rates go up, just call us and maybe we can get them down again," a woman said. "It's so arbitrary. It makes absolutely no sense, and as consumers, we can't win."

More than 200 people joined Giannoulias' townhall virtually Wednesday night and shared their experiences. Some also question if it is necessary for government to get involved.

"We're in a free-market society that's better served through competition. Are all insurance companies wrong?" a man said "We have the freedom to choose where we want to go. We can shop and change insurance companies."

Various insurance groups said they don't use race or income to set rates, but argue credit does relate to driving.

Giannoulias said he hopes to take the information gathered in the town halls and get lawmakers informed.

The Illinois Insurance Association, a insurance trade group, said Giannoulias' town hall meetings "should be conducted with fairness and impartiality."

"Yet, to date, no one from the Secretary of State's office has engaged experts from the insurance industry to explain how automobile insurance ratemaking works – or why underwriting factors such as credit, zip code, and age are essential to accurately assessing risk. These tools are not only actuarially sound, but they also help keep premiums lower for the majority of Illinois consumers," executive director Kevin Martin said in a statement. "Political theater is not the best approach for public policy development and risks doing a disservice to the millions of Illinoisans who rely on a stable, competitive insurance marketplace. The insurance industry would welcome a fair discussion and looks forward to collaborating with stakeholders, elected officials and policymakers."