Re: Insurance Thread

[AUDIDUDI@delphi.com]

> This makes NO sense.  Their exposure to liability is the same with 
> either car, because that's based on the DRIVER.  The Z-0car can be 
> totaled for $4500 or so, and the Audi would cost twice as much - but 
> they charge based on the 17-year-olds driving clapped out old Z-cars.

I'm afraid your analysis is too simplistic ... for instance, let's say that,
as a group, Z-car owners total their cars twice as often as do the owners of
Audi 200s.  This suggests that although the value of each car is different,
your insurance company's potential liability is actually the same.  Or maybe
the average Z-car claim involves two cars instead of one, etc.

Whenever you minimize an individual's exposure to risk by spreading it over
a wide group of people, someone -- the person who never has an accident and
never files a claim -- is getting "screwed."  Here in Arizona, the law does
NOT require that you carry insurance only that you accept responsibility for
any damage you cause other motorists ... post a $40,000 bond with DOT and
they'll give you an SR-22 form that exempts you from carrying insurance.

In my case, I have decided that 1) I don't have $40,000 to put up as a bond,
at least not without making a considerable sacrifice in my quality of life;
2) In today's legal environment, I would rather not to expose myself to the
potentially astronomical liability that can arise out of an otherwise minor
traffic accident; 3) I want to protect myself against other people who have
decided to drive without buying insurance or posting a bond and 4) although
I make every effort to safeguard the security of my car, I don't want to be
left holding the bag should someone decide they deserve it more than I do.

As a result, of all of the above, I willing chose to buy insurance and I've
decided to carry as much of it as the law allows.  Yes, I pay dearly for it
but all things considered and in view of the alternatives, I don't mind...

On the other hand, what I don't like is being treated like shit when I have
to file a claim.  IMHO, the problem with insurance companies isn't how much
they collect in premiums but how little they pay out in claims!

     _             _             
    / l       l o l  \       l o   Jeffrey Goggin
   /__l l l / l l l  l l l / l l   AudiDudi@delphi.com
  /   l l_l \_l l l__/ l_l \_l l   http://people.delphi.com/AudiDudi