Actually, here is the other peice I've decided to postI got from the same person. This is actually about insurance companies and their hidden scams, but you'll see how these parasites factor in speeding to make their millions. Scumbags!
<table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=800 border=0> <tbody> <tr> <td nowrap width=10></td> <td valign=top align=middle width=557> <table cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width="100%" bgcolor=#ffcc00 border=0> <tbody> <tr bgcolor=#d7d7ff> <td bgcolor=#ffcc00> <center>
Why Insurance Companies Love Speeders</center></td></tr></tbody></table>
<table width="99%" border=0> <tbody> <tr> <td valign=top width="50%"> In the past, insurance companies assisted in highway safety through the sponsorship of driver training programs, conducting public information campaigns and providing grants for highway safety research. Those days are behind us now. These noble ides have been abandoned in favor of the tax exempt lobby group. The principal group of all the major insurance companies is the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Quite an honorable sounding name for a well funded machine with three primary goals: <ul> [*]Promote unrealistically low speed limits. [*]Endorse and fund covert methods of speed detection. [*]Expansion of auto manufacturing regulations. [/list] Surprising as it may seem, speeding tickets are not about highway safety. Speeding tickets are about big income for local and state governments as well as the insurance companies. In the introduction we discussed how the major cities in the United States generate millions of dollars a year in speeding ticket fines. Some smaller, more rural towns can generate most of their annual operating budget from speeding ticket revenues. The insurance companies are right behind them all the way as they wave the flag of highway safety while collecting an average of a 15% policy increase for three years. The insurance companies and local governments are all aware of the studies by the Federal Highway Administration that revealed the slowest 5% of all drivers on the highway accounted for the largest percentage of accidents. The same study showed that the motorist with the lowest accident rates are those who typically travel at speeds anywhere from 10 to 15 mph over the posted speed limit.
IIHS is completely aware of the 85th Percentile Rule and hopes that a very small group of the public is also aware of this rule. Simply stated, this rule shows that the safest speed for any road is the speed that 85% of the drivers would travel, under good conditions, if there were no posted speed limit. A quick proof of the 85th Percentile's accuracy is on the federal highways now that the speed limit has increase from 55 mph to 70 mph. During the days of 55 mph, drivers usually averaged between 65 and 75 mph. Now that the speed limit has been raised, the majority of the drivers still do not exceed 75 mph.
The reason isn't because they only want to travel at X miles per hour over the speed limit. These drivers realize that this speed is realistic and a speed at which they are comfortable driving.
IIHS has continuously pushed to outlaw radar detectors, and even convinced GEICO Insurance not to insure drivers with radar detectors. Their arguments against radar detectors are: <ul> [*]Radar detectors increase accident rates and cause people to drive faster than they would without the detector. [*]Insurance companies don't get an accurate portrayal of driver's performance since the radar detectors allow them to avoid speeding tickets. [*]Since radar detector owners are the fastest drivers, the insurance companies shouldn't have to provide them with insurance. [/list] The Insurance Commissions of both California and Maryland told GEICO and IIHS that these arguments were totally unfounded. They also pointed out that their own studies showed no correlation between radar detector use and increased accidents.
One new tactic among insurance companies is to make a major marketing production out of the local agent presenting the local law enforcement agency with a radar gun in the name of highway safety.
Let's apply a little business economics to this scenario.
1. The radar gun is purchased for $2,500.00 by XYZ Insurance.
2. This radar gun will be used to write an average of 80 tickets per month (this is a very low figure, some officers write over 150 tickets a month).
3. The average XYZ auto policy costs a driver $750.00 per year.
4. XYZ insures 5% of the drivers in this state and figures that 1/3 of the tickets will be written to out of state drivers.
5. XYZ will increase a driver's premium by 15% for a speeding ticket.
Now let's take a closer look at the math: <table cellspacing=3 cellpadding=5 bgcolor=#ffcc00 border=2> <tbody> <tr> <td> 80 tickets times 2/3 (for in state drivers) = 54 tickets per month</td></tr> <tr> <td> 5% of these drivers are XYZ customers = 54 x .05 = 3 drivers per month</td></tr> <tr> <td> XYZ will charge these 3 drivers an extra $112.50 per year = $337.50</td></tr> <tr> <td> Over the next twelve months XYZ will gain 12 x $337.50 = $2,193.75</td></tr></tbody></table> Wasn't it generous of XYZ to spend $2,500.00 for the radar gun donation? Remember, the increase premiums last for 3 years! You can quickly see that XYZ wasn't quite so noble.
One other big issue with IIHS is covert speed detection through the use of unmarked police cars. If the insurance companies were so concerned with driver safety, wouldn't they rather see all marked cars on the highway? What do you do when you are traveling along at 75 mph on a 65 mph highway and see a state trooper about to come down the on ramp? You slow down, that seems to support IIHS's notion of highway safety much more than an unmarked car hiding in the bushes and waiting to write a ticket. As you can see, the insurance industry might talk a big line for highway safety, but the proof is in the profits.</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table>
