🚀 go-pugleaf

E. Faubion (in@the.sig) wrote:

> After many years of driving I've learned one thing.  No driver (myself
> included) is as good as we think we are.  About 99% of the accidents
> I've investigated were caused by someone who thought they were driving
> in a safe manner.  None of us is immune and we certainly aren't
> immortal.

You're probably right about that, but I think there are huge differences
in how seriously people take driving.  Whenever I'm on the road, I make a
point of staying focused on what I'm doing.  This means looking ahead,
checking my mirrors, and trying to anticipate what other drivers are going
to do.  You will rarely see me eating or drinking while behind the wheel,
much less making phone calls, reading, or shaving.  So, while I may not be
as good a driver as I think I am, I can at least say I take my driving
seriously.

> Your ideas on insurance are interesting.  I do deal with insurance
> companies frequently but that's on claims and/or fraud rather than on
> the issue of rate structures.   You might find it interesting to sit
> down with an agent someday and learn how they rate drivers.  

Well, I know they rate drivers based on age, gender, traffic violations,
accidents, years or driving experience, consecutive years of being
insured, and make/model of vehicle.  But I think it should be totally
illegal for insurance companies to use traffic violations.  Why?  Simply
because the punishment does not fit the "crime."  Just from one speeding
ticket, you have to pay the government $100 to $200, then you have to pay
your insurance company $50 to $100 every six months for 3 to 5 years. 
$1200 for one speeding ticket?  If people really thought of it in these
terms, this extremely profitable scam by the insurance companies would
have been rejected years ago.

-Dan