🚀 go-pugleaf

E. Faubion wrote:

> DPH <76256.3632@compuserve.com> wrote:
>
> >For my part, I don't have to, since Allstate has never taking _tickets_ into
> >account, only accidents.
>
> Doesn't sound very fair to the poor guy who is innocent of wrongdoing
> but keeps getting run over.

Allstate is one of the few companies not to engage in what _all_ the companies know
to be bogus reasoning - that tickets equate to bad driving.  _Accidents_ equate to
bad driving, not tickets.  And...

I've never run over anybody.  Did come close once - idiot STANDING IN THE RIGHT
TRAFFIC LANE if I-10 at 5 in the moring (THAT'S STILL _NIGHT_) waving a shirt simply
because he was broken down and wanted somebody to stop.  I set it sideways, probably
leaving huge black marks on the road, to get into the left lane.  Whew.  But ya just
gotta pay attention, that's all.  This is the kind of stuff I buy tires that cost
$700 a set and only last 25,000 mile for.  Great grip.  Helps keep me out of trouble.

> >On the latter part, the unfortunate concept that they use is that they are
> >insuring the _vehicle_ so  if the _vehicle_ gets into an accident, even with
> >your buddy driving it, then you get to pay increased rates for 3 years.
>
> That's the way it works.
>
> >Bummer.
>
> Yep.
>
> >That's what happened to me in 1986 when, after getting tired of
> >driving, I let my buddy drive and he proceeded to rip off the left front fender
> >in downtown Chicago! <G>
>
> I'm rather careful who I loan my car to for this very reason.

It is always my intention to do _all_ the driving, since I'm the best driver I know.
This became inadvisable because of a poor night's sleep and a rather stressful
initial part of the trip when I had to deal with fog.  I figured I was getting less
than optimum, and wanted to rest a bit, so I let the buddy drive.  Mistake, I guess.

> >Only upside to that was that the people he hit were
> >also insured by Allstate, so the deductable was waived.  OK, the OTHER upside
> >was that it was a very low speed crash, and nobody was hurt.
>
> You're lucky.   Nowadays many low speed crashes result in "injuries"
> and whatnot.

And real ones, due to the air bags.  The other "injuries" is the reason for the
higher insurance coverage I carry.

>  Most of these claims are either bogus or inflated and
> all it does is create a mess for those who have legitimate claims.
>
> >Yes, rates should not go up with frequency of tickets.  Speeding, when done with
> >alertness, is not significantly more dangerous than staying with the flow of
> >traffic (also speeding, but not generally considered that by most except cops.)
>
> But it is illegal

Look at the traffic flow.  Almost _everyone_ on an interstate highway is illegal most
of the time.  The limits there are lower than most people agree with.  Its because
the politicians set the limits, rather than the traffic engineers, and those limits
are set to make money for the state.  If you nail me for 78 in Ok when the speed
limit is 70, it a good ticket and an unfair bust, because I'd be driving about what
everyone else is driving.

> and historically drivers (as a group) who collects
> tickets are historically more accident prone than the drivers who do
> not.

Of course.  But that does not disprove the idea that one can speed safely.  Just
because the next guy can't get away with continually going 30 over the limit doesn't
mean I can't get away with doing 8 over - or 15 to 20 over when the limit was a
ridiculous 55 mph.  Ya just gotta pay attention to what you're doing in order to go
down the road and not hit things.

> >I've got an _amazing_ lifetime array of _tickets_ but no major accidents in 35
> >years of driving.  Ya just gotta pay attention to what your doing, that's all.
>
> It only takes once.  I have the advantage of being able to examine the
> driving records of people involved in major crashes and while the
> trend is for the driver at fault to have an existing record including
> convictions for the same violation that caused the crash, there are
> some who have clean slates.  The point being anyone can crash at any
> time and the *only* non variable is that traffic violators cause the
> crashes and the non traffic violators do not.   That's a broad but
> true observation.

It would be interesting to examine the driving philosophies of the same people.  In
spite of busting up speed limits most everywhere I go, I consider myself much safer
than average because of the other factors.  Example:  A friend got hit in the rear
while sitting in the road attempting to make a left turn just after the crest of a
hill.  Got his Mom all busted up.  I used to have a similar situation when going to a
nursery to repair 2-way radios (I worked for a 2-way radio sales and service company)
on route 224 in Ohio - a left turn just over the crest of a hill.  If there was a car
coming, so that I would have had to stop there, I _always_ kept going and found a
place to turn around and come back and make a right turn to get to the nursery.  Its
just the way I drive.  Just chicken, I guess..Anyone can crash at any time - sure -
you're not safe as soon as you get about zero mph.  Paying attention to what you are
doing, though, compensates for a _lot_ of other factors.  Being rather scared of a
grinding crash has kept me real alert for 35 yrs of driving.  If I ever lose this
fear, I'll be afraid of myself...

DPH