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SGKent 
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 41031
Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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 Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 8:05 pm Post subject: Re: How much insurance? |
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The insurance industry has to by law treat each case individually yet apply the laws equally. If they ask you for more information after an accident to prove your vehicle is worth X but just take someone else's word theirs is worth Y, then they can get in trouble legally. BUT if you agree in advance that a total loss of asset A is worth X money, they can pay that. The question of fraud will only come up if they have reason to believe you intentionally over insured it to make a profit, or betterment by causing a claim. If it would cost you $50K to restore another car to like condition, but there are no buyers around to pay that price, you can still get an AGREED VALUE policy for the $50K. However if you have anything in your past that infers you might want to try to scam the insurance company, they are going to walk away from you and say no. Here is what many miss. Insurance companies make a profit. They compare premiums to losses. When losses are much less than premiums COLLECTIVELY they take on more risks because it raises their profits. But when losses are too high, they shed risk to not lose money. When we have huge storms and the insurance companies lose billions, for several years afterwards lots of more flexible policies go away until those losses are absorbed. That is also why you need to READ your policy every year ESPECIALLY the exclusions. When they shed risks it is not uncommon to see them add exclusions. What was insured this year as marginal daily driver activity - 20 miles a week to get a hamburger and cruise etc., may be uninsured next year.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin |
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baldessariclan
Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2016
Posts: 1382
Location: Wichita, KS
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 1:12 pm Post subject: Re: How much insurance? |
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| EverettB wrote: |
| baldessariclan wrote: |
| So what the policy actually does is effectively punish law-abiding folks by forcing them to pay for liability insurance (which they’ll likely never need, especially if they’re reasonably cautious & considerate drivers), and then also often foot the entire bill for accidents caused by other folks as well.… |
Spoiler: No one is, I see "considerate" drivers creating dangerous situations almost daily by trying to be polite instead of following the laws of the road. |
To me, “considerate” driving is when you do follow the appropriate laws — then people can more easily understand and anticipate your intentions and upcoming actions. E.g. appropriate use of turn signals, turning into correct lane(s), following at safe distances, driving in the appropriate lane(s) for your speed and passing purposes, and similar. Heck, one might even consider trying to take speed limit laws seriously as well, who knows? 
When you see people doing things like stopping for or waving other drivers ahead when they themselves actually have the right-of-way, driving slow in the fast lane, and etc. — they may think of it as being “polite” or “safer”, but in actuality it tends to often just end up being confusing and/or aggravating, and thus ultimately more dangerous for everybody involved.
We all share the public roads, and so I personally think it’s good policy trying to follow the applicable traffic regulations, being a reasonably cautious and defensive driver, giving others the benefit of the doubt when they do seem to make potentially questionable or dangerous maneuvers, and etc. Not trying to be overly preachy here - just encouraging common sense and consideration.
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1971 Standard Beetle — fairly stock / driver
baldessariclan -- often in error, never in doubt... |
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SGKent
Samba Member
Joined: October 30, 2007
Posts: 41031
Location: Citrus Heights CA (Near Sacramento)
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 5:13 pm Post subject: Re: How much insurance? |
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I would agree but the last 3 cars that have been totaled on me were the other person who did something impulsive without thinking, like stopping at a red light and then flooring it when the left arrow turned green for the person next to them to turn left and nailing the oncoming car making a left after first making sure the oncoming traffic was going to stop - which it did then didn't. Or the guy who was late to work so he decided to shave in the car and was looking in the rear view mirror with his razor in his hand when traffic stopped in front of him. All the courtesy in the world won't overcome these idiots.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin |
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Cusser
Samba Member
Joined: October 02, 2006
Posts: 31379
Location: Hot Arizona
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 6:21 pm Post subject: Re: How much insurance? |
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| baldessariclan wrote: |
| When you see people doing things like stopping for or waving other drivers ahead when they themselves actually have the right-of-way, driving slow in the fast lane, and etc. — they may think of it as being “polite” or “safer”, but in actuality it tends to often just end up being confusing and/or aggravating, and thus ultimately more dangerous for everybody involved. |
I'm not an attorney, but I wonder if you'd still be liable when someone does that.....
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297 |
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baldessariclan
Samba Member
Joined: October 14, 2016
Posts: 1382
Location: Wichita, KS
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| Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2023 6:26 pm Post subject: Re: How much insurance? |
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| SGKent wrote: |
| I would agree but the last 3 cars that have been totaled on me were the other person who did something impulsive without thinking, like stopping at a red light and then flooring it when the left arrow turned green for the person next to them to turn left and nailing the oncoming car making a left after first making sure the oncoming traffic was going to stop - which it did then didn't. Or the guy who was late to work so he decided to shave in the car and was looking in the rear view mirror with his razor in his hand when traffic stopped in front of him. All the courtesy in the world won't overcome these idiots. |
Oh yeah, I totally agree - you can’t control how others drive, only yourself. That’s what I meant about considerate driving. If you and I tend to drive that way (i.e. reasonably cautious and considerate of others) chances are we won’t be the ones causing most accidents. Part of the solution is choosing to not be part of the problem in the first place.
And I’ve noticed that other drivers around me often seem to unconsciously adjust to or mimic the way I’m driving as well. E.g. during more “laid back” driving conditions (i.e. not too much road congestion, non rush hour, etc.) if I’m over in the right lane doing the speed limit, folks may be passing me, but they tend to be doing so at a more relaxed pace overall. Just seems to “depressurize” things a bit -- or at least that’s the feeling I sometimes get anyway. Might just be my imagination...
Still plenty of ding-dongs out there though, no doubt. That’s where the “defensive” or “cautious” part comes in. Having bit of a “yellow alert” mentality while driving (especially in older / smaller cars like Beetles) can give you a better chance to avoid collision when others pull the unexpected. E.g. I like to use the old “2+ second rule” for spacing between myself and car in front, keeping an escape path or two open if possible, quick second or third scan both directions before and while pulling into intersections, etc. — stuff like that. After a while it becomes second nature. Not a complete guarantee against other folks ramming you, of course, but does significantly lower the chances overall, IMO.
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1971 Standard Beetle — fairly stock / driver
baldessariclan -- often in error, never in doubt... |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22668
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2023 12:39 pm Post subject: Re: How much insurance? |
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| Cusser wrote: |
| baldessariclan wrote: |
| When you see people doing things like stopping for or waving other drivers ahead when they themselves actually have the right-of-way, driving slow in the fast lane, and etc. — they may think of it as being “polite” or “safer”, but in actuality it tends to often just end up being confusing and/or aggravating, and thus ultimately more dangerous for everybody involved. |
I'm not an attorney, but I wonder if you'd still be liable when someone does that..... |
Liability has to do with how much money you have much more that what you do.
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