Many drivers insured by State Farm will see lower rates soon, thanks to a decline in expensive auto claims by Idaho drivers over the past several years.

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. is lowering its overall rates for Idaho an average of 0.5 percent, starting Monday. That represents a total savings for Idaho customers of about $400,000, according to the company. When the rate change hits, the cost of insurance for State Farm drivers in Idaho will be 16 percent lower than it was six years ago, State Farm said.

State Farm's auto insurance rates are affected by how often, and how severe, the state's claims history has been.

For some individuals, though, premiums may go up. The cost of insurance for an Idaho driver depends on the type of coverage, the discounts they qualify for, the kind of car they drive, who else drives it and how much it is driven. Individual premiums also take into account where a person lives and past claims history.

The insurer covers about one in every five insured cars in Idaho.

"It's important people review their coverage annually with their agent," said Angela M. Thorpe, media relations specialist for State Farm. "There might be ways to further reduce their individual premium, such as discounts they are eligible for, like the soon to be released Drive Safe and Save program."

The program lets drivers share their actual driving habits with State Farm, instead of using annual mileage estimates, to help determine their premiums.

"The program is popular with our customers in other states, and we're happy to bring this innovative, industry trending technology, to our Idaho customers," Thorpe said.