Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1998 14:45:15 -0500
Reply-To: David-M <dmcs@CYBURBAN.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: David-M <dmcs@CYBURBAN.COM>
Organization: .
Subject: Re: Vanagon vs Volvo Crash Photos
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Ari Ollikainen wrote:
>
> This message is best viewed in a non-proportional, fixed spacing font.
>
> At 9:29 AM 11/20/98, David-M wrote:
>
> >Question: Do you like high car insurance rates?
>
> Of course not...but given the accident experience of Vanagons our
> insurance rates should be MUCH lower than, say, those of Volvo
> owners.
>
> >If you dont, then you should be in favour of safety regulation.
> >The cost of death and injuries in vehicle collisions is astronomical.
>
> According to NHTSA, the safety NUTS (excerpted from
> http://www.healthandsafety.org/cars.html#LARGE)
> <quote>
> CONCLUSION
>
> In conclusion, traffic safety has seen significant progress during
> the past 10 years. If the 1985 fatality rate had remained unchanged,
> an additional 18,275 people would have been killed in motor vehicle
> crashes in 1995. This safety progress is due to a variety of factors,
> such as:
>
> =>Increased safety belt and motorcycle helmet use.
> =>Anti-drunk driving efforts.
> =>A growing fleet of vehicles with air bags and other safety
> =>equipment.
> =>Stringent federal safety regulations.
> <unquote>
>
> But of course NHTSA hasn't really offered any proof of this assertion
> and the fatality rates were declining in the decade prior to 1985-
> 1995, as well.
>
> There are some interesting statistics in this particular report,
> such as:
>
> TABLE 1
>
> MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH FACT SHEET
>
> I.Total Motor Vehicle Crashes 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
>
> Number of Fatalities 44,599 41,508 39,252 40,150 40,716 41,798
> Rate/100million VMT 2.1 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.7
> Number injured (x1000) 3,231 3,097 3,070 3,125 3,215 3,386
>
> II. Alcohol Involvement
> Total fatalities 22,084 19,887 17,859 17,473 16,589 17,274
> % of total fatalities 49.5 47.9 45.5 43.5 40.8 41.3
> People killed, by
> highest blood alcohol
> concentration (BAC) in crash:
> BAC of .01% to .09% 4,434 3,957 3,625 3,496 3,495 3,710
> BAC of .10% or higher 17,650 15,930 14,234 13,977 13,094 13,564
>
> III. Fatalities by Vehicle Type
> Passenger Cars
> Occupant Fatalities 24,092 22,385 21,387 21,566 21,997 22,358
> Fatality rate/100mill VMT 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.5 N/A N/A
> Light Trucks and Vans(1)
> Occupant Fatalities 8,601 8,391 8,098 8,511 8,904 9,539
> Fatality rate/100mill VMT 1.6 1.4 1.3 1.3 N/A N/A
> Motorcycles
> Motorcycle Fatalities 3,244 2,806 2,395 2,449 2,320 2,221
> Fatality rate/100 mill VMT 33.9 30.6 25.1 24.8 N/A N/A
> Large Trucks(2)
> Truck Occupant Fatalities 705 661 585 605 670 644
> All Fatalities in Large Truck
> Crashes 5,272 4,821 4,462 4,856 5,119 4,903
> Pedestrians
> Pedestrian Fatalities 6,482 5,801 5,549 5,649 5,489 5,585
> Bicyclists
> Bicyclist Fatalities 859 843 723 816 802 830
>
> (1) Vans, pickup trucks, and utility vehicles with a gross vehicle weight
> rating of 10,000 pounds or less.
> (2) 2 Single-unit trucks and truck tractors with a gross vehicle weight
> rating of more than 10,000 pounds.
>
> Source: Fatalities: Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS), National
> Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.
> Injuries: General Estimate System (GES), National Highway Traffic Safety
> Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.
>
> N/A: Data not available at publication.
>
There are many illogical statements in your argument. Two of which are:
First, you assume that your insurance rates are based on the safety of
your vehicle. NOT SO, they are influenced by the total costs of the
insurance industry.
Secondly, you assume that because safety has improved, costs should not
rise. The fact is that medical, legal and administrative costs are
rising, outweighing any improcvement in vehicle safety.
Thats why your insurance rates GO UP every year not down.
Thats why legislation that reduces accidents or the severity of
accidents will help to keep insurance rates in check.
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