South Dakota Insurance

How leaders insurance authorities, politicians and all groups of consumers in the struggle to control skyrocketing costs of automobile insurance, a new study suggests that maybe the wrong direction.

Insurance premiums are high in Los Angeles and Philadelphia are not primarily because of congestion, vehicles against theft and break-ins, commonly believed that insurance-sponsored study said. A larger reason is that drivers in accidents in these places rather file injury claims and complaints of pain and suffering far more than other drivers. Prices go into these areas that the insurer trying to stay before increasing frequency and amount of payments for medical expenses and other charges.

Many basic research, lessons learned from the accidents of thousands of discs American motorists Insurance Research Council, supported by the organization of industry, there was not a surprise. But the Council said it was aufgeschreckt to find large geographical differences in the tendency to bring answers and not willing to explain why.

With the help of an index that measured the proportion of accidents in which victims have a personal injury claim or more generally a claim of pain and suffering, the Council, California top of the list of countries with 55.7 100 percent of accidents. But South Carolina, with 41.4 per cent, and several other countries in rural areas was also high.

“For some reason, these people for the country is very fragile,” said James F. Perry, a vice-chairman of the National Council of Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company.

The bottom of the list was the State of South Dakota, whose inhabitants have called pain and suffering only 15.7 out of 100 accidents studied in this state.

Curiously, but while the driver of Los Angeles said the pain and suffering of 60.6 per cent of cases, San Francisco his colleagues had a low 37.4 per cent. In addition, pain and suffering right in Philadelphia rate was 75 percent, compared to only 15.7 per cent to Pittsburgh. In New York, the Bronx had a rate of 30.3 per cent, the highest for the city, while Queens showed a weakness for the city of 17.5 per cent.

“That was surprising,” said Donald W. Segraves, the Research Council, the Executive Director. Mr. Segraves supervised the preparation of the report. “Everyone has seen, the study was surprised on the sector for large cities, he said.

Assekuranz leaders said they hoped that the study would also help them understand why the average rate has been higher in some cities. Once they do this, they can find ways and means to better control costs, could help slow the increase in premiums.

Some consumer groups say they already know, one thing that helps with the key Price: no-fault insurance, limits the ability of a person to blame.

“A good no-fault law solve approximately 20% of the problem,” said Stephen Brobeck, Executive Director of the Consumer Federation of America. “All the results of research shows that people with low value excessive.”

Most major auto insurers, without any assurance of debt. Companies argue that premiums on auto insurance policies could be considerably reduced if the accident victims’ pain and suffering claims was limited to serious cases. “Tap surplus Out ‘

No debt insurance “bruises excess of a quantity of applications, and some may close the legislature that the study,” said Segraves.

In New York and 13 other countries, without insurance, lack of laws, the proportion of complaints filed in case of accidents has decreased by half that by the way. Prices remain high in New York City, because the cost of break-ins and theft of vehicles, savings Marsh no-fault borders.

New Jersey is also a no-fault state famous for high auto insurance rates. This is partly because their guilt has not limit values are null and void, experts say. They note that motorists the opportunity to participate in suffering, in some cases, when their medical care of more than $ 200.

Other notable exceptions between no-fault states Hawaii, Massachusetts and Georgia, where the proportion of industrial accidents followed by work stoppage action was a rise in interest rates to three.