A new survey says fewer American households now carry life insurance than any time in the past 50 years. LIMRA, an insurance industry group conducted the survey and says that now millions of families are living without this important safety net. The study shows that 44% of households have an individual life insurance policy and 30% have no life insurance, whether from an employer or individual.

Families with the greatest need for coverage are typically viewed as those with children under the age of 18, and right now 11 million of those households are without life insurance protection. Premiums actually cost much less now than they did ten years ago. According to statistics from ING, a $500,000 20-year term policy costs about $25 a month.

There are several reasons experts say explain the drop in coverage including the recession, procrastination and fewer insurance agents. The cost is why 40% of families say they don’t have life insurance. But ironically, if the primary income earner in the family were to die, 40% say they would have trouble meeting expenses. Another reason is the lack of urgency that life insurance carries. It’s a voluntary purchase which is why many people delay buying it. “A lot of people really overlook the whole need (for insurance) until they have a health condition, and then life insurance prices are out of reach for them,” Amy Danise, editor of Insure.com, told USA Today.

A final explanation for the lack of life insurance is the reduction in insurance agents. About four out of five families don’t have a life insurance agent, according to the study. Statistics show that in 2010 there were 184,873 affiliated agents. Two decades ago that number was nearly a quarter of a million. Since the days of door-to-door salesmen are gone, Byron Udell of AccuQuote tells USA Today, “there’s less of it getting bought.”

One of the leading passions of America is automobiles. While a vehicle may not factor into everyone’s interests, as a nation, driving a vehicle is more than just a requirement and is something of a way of life in itself. With so many automobile racing sports in entertainment and a strong legacy backing the nation’s industry leaders, people from all corners of the nation enjoy and appreciate their vehicles for a wide variety of reasons.