Your ears aren’t playing tricks on you: Many ads actually do sound louder, but the volume of your TV set hasn’t changed and stations don’t turn up the sound during commercial breaks. So then why are you reaching for the remote—or covering your ears—during a promo for a blowout sales event?

The FCC is trying to soothe your ears with something called the CALM Act, which passed in 2010. It requires commercials to match the average volume of the shows during which they’re playing. The FCC also sets a legal limit to how loud shows can get, but there’s a catch. Shows mix loud and soft parts: One character whispers, while another one shouts.

Some advertisers create audio tracks that match every part—the music, the voices, the effects—to the loudest part of a show. In other words, the entire commercial is set to a guy shouting over a police siren. Fortunately, GEICO doesn’t need to shout: one 15-minute call could save you 15% or more on car insurance.