is geico the bose of insurance? (1 Viewer)

[Todd Hochard]

When the USA national 55 mph speed limit was abolished and limits went up on most major highways, accidents actually went down.

I'd like to see those facts. I've seen otherwise, but I don't remember where.

Frankly, though, I'll take them odds (of a higher limit, that is). I don't worry about my ability to control my car at 80 on a clear, flat road (of which there are lots in FL)- I worry about the retard in the 6000lb Excursion, riding my bumper on the interstate for no good reason, half asleep at the wheel (or the soccer mom fidgeting with her kid- pick your cliche).

I've been with GEICO for a while (switched from Allstate). However, in the last 1.5 years, my rates have gone up about 15-20% for no apparent reason, other than "we have to cover our costs of increased accidents in your area."

Todd

 

[Kevin P]

I'd like to see those facts. I've seen otherwise, but I don't remember where.

There have been "more" accidents total since the limit was raised, but that's because there's more cars on the road. If you normalize the data, accounting for this, the actual rate has dropped.

Most people are reasonable behind the wheel when it comes to speed. Unless you're showing off or racing (which falls under reckless driving), one tends to drive at a speed that they feel comfortable and safe at. If that speed is 80 on an open highway, that's how fast they'll go. If the limit is 55, you get people that want to do 80 (since it's safe to) but are afraid to get tickets so they do 65, you get people doing 55, you get people doing 80. Raise the limit to 65, and now you get fewer 55 pokers, and a narrower distribution of speeds between 65 and 80, and thus fewer accidents. Speed itself doesn't kill (unless you are in the habit of head-on collisions), speed DIFFERENCE kills. If everyone drives at the same speed (and stays in the same lane), no one will hit each other.

Statistics show that the best speed limit for highways is the 85th percentile. However, most speed limits are set well below that. Why? So the police can give out more tickets, which means more money for them and for insurance companies.

KJP

 

[Michael*K]

My parents switched to Geico about the time I first got my driver's license. They had a 60 day "probationary" period, presumably because I was a new driver, but my parents' records were clean. Anyhow, I got stopped for speeding on the 60th and final day of the probationary period. Geico cancelled the policy. Not offered a higher rate...just cancelled the policy, which left us in the lurch for a day until we could switch companies.

These days (15 years later) I use State Farm and I'm very happy with them. I've had to file a couple comprehensive claims and they've always taken care of things promptly and fairly. I think I could likely get cheaper insurance elsewhere, but I'm willing to pay a little more if it means I don't have to jump through so many hoops when the time comes to file a claim.

 

[Todd Hochard]

If everyone drives at the same speed (and stays in the same lane), no one will hit each other.

You've just described how to avoid ANY accident. Duh! If only it were that simple...
I'd still like to SEE those stats. I can't find them.
Considering the cost of police cars, radar guns, maintaining traffic courts/salaries, issuing tickets is NOT a profitable business for the police. So, that argument doesn't work. It is for the insurance company, though.
Todd

 

[Philip Hamm]

Considering the cost of police cars, radar guns, maintaining traffic courts/salaries, issuing tickets is NOT a profitable business for the police.

Are you serious??? Of course tickets are profitable for the police!!! Why do you think so many small towns across the country set up speed traps on the 3 miles of interstate that goes through their town? Local governments makes a lot of money on tickets. Remember the short timing lights out west where they set up red light cameras and then short-timed the yellow lights?
I don't have a link for that statistic, it was reported in my AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) magazine, and the government tried VERY hard to bury the report because they wanted the opposite results.

 

[Todd Hochard]

Maybe in one-horse towns, where a family unit makes up police, judge, jury, executioner, then yes, I'll grant you, it is profitable.

In a big city like Orlando, it's not. Not even close.

I'm not advocating lower limits, but to extrapolate that "higher=better" is ridiculous. It becomes a case of what is an acceptable level of risk. Personally, I'm willing to accept the risk of 75-80mph for me and my family. The time/headaches saved is worth it, IMO (maybe because I've never been in a serious accident-now there's a misnomer- "accident").

Take Germany, for instance. Better driving training/skill are responsible for lower (relatively speaking) accident rates, not no speed limit on the Autobahn.

 

[Jason Handy]

I want to chime in on the whole speed issue. Personally, I think that people DO drive too fast, and on my way into work every day, I see people behind me doing 75 MPH (I am doing 75 MPH as well), and I can't see the front grille of their car. They are so close - all that has to happen is one person makes a mistake and you have huge pile-ups. Just look at today's news - there was a 75 (or 100) car pileup along an interstate near the GA-SC border. Eight people are dead, and a whole bunch more are injured.
I agree that it is possible to drive fast and still be safe, but the majority of very fast drivers are also guilty of the other, much more dangerous habits of tailgating and cell-phone talking. Give me an empty road any day and I will burn rubber, but in heavy traffic you gotta give each other room to breathe!
A little quick math: someone tailgating 10 feet behind me at 75 MPH has excatly 0.091 seconds (1/11th) to react to ANYTHING I do. Last time I checked this is beyond human reflex capacity. And it makes me very nervous.
Finally, I would like to see a statistic correlating number of tickets to number of accidents for each driver; I would not be surprised to see that most of the speeding offenders also have some sort of accident on their record as well.
Oh well, back to the grind...keep it civil folks, I can see this thread becoming a personal battle between the people that like to go fast and those who do not.
Jason

 

[Philip Hamm]

following too close != speeding

following too close = bad

speeding = fast

You'd hate to see my driving record. Lots of speeding tickets, zero "at fault" accidents (well, one but htat was 1984). Last "not at fault" accident was 8+ years ago.

 

[MickeS]

I think the best thing that insurance companies (and others) would do to increase safety on the roads would be to fund and lobby for higher standards on the driver's license test. It is ridiculously easy to get a driver's license, at least here in Arizona. I also believe that there should be tests every 10 or 15 years or so to check that the person still knows how to drive safely.
As for Geico, I don't know anything about them... we have all our insurance policies through Farmer's, I have no clue if they're expensive or cheap. I just know I like our agent and the office is nearby so it's easy to stop in and see him.
/Mike

 

[DaveF]

As for Geico, I don't know anything about them... we have all our insurance policies through Farmer's, I have no clue if they're expensive or cheap. I just know I like our agent and the office is nearby so it's easy to stop in and see him.

I think that's the main difference between a Geico-type user and a Allstate-type user: lack of agents. For me Geico is cheaper, and I think that's partly because they don't have local offices nor agents. And I can't think of any reason I'd want an agent. Other people are just the opposite.

 

[Todd Hochard]

Jason,
I agree with you on many points. However, too fast and too close are two different things. It happens a lot here in FL- 70 mph, bumper to bumper, and if I leave more than two car-lengths open (which is still too close), some jackass cuts in. C'est la vie. My remedy for tailgaters- drop 20mph. This is especially effective when they can't get around me.
For the record, I have no accidents (at fault or otherwise) and 1 speeding ticket in '93 (78 in 65 in NC- if he gave it to me for how fast I was REALLY going, I would have taken a trip to the BIG HOUSE ).
For most people I know here, tickets seem to be penance for their lack of attention to their surroundings (very rarely are the cops truly hiding here). And, as such, I feel they get what they deserve.
Todd

 

[MickeS]

My remedy for tailgaters- drop 20mph. This is especially effective when they can't get around me.

How can that prevent them from tailgating, if they can't get around you - wouldn't that in fact make them even more irritated and prone to driving too close?

/mike

 

[Todd Hochard]

wouldn't that in fact make them even more irritated

Yes, that's the whole point. Eventually, most seem to wise up to the fact that I just want them to back off a little. Or, they get to enjoy a nice, SLOW trip down the freeway, courtesy of ME.

 

[Eric Kahn]

Gieco was one of the companies that funded the outfit that invented the Laser speed gun, gieco then bought about a million dollars worth of them and distributed them to places where they would get the most use, I.E. be used to write the most tickets

Luckly I have USAA, no one has ever been able to beat them on price for coverage on cars, but they really suck on motorcycle coverage oweing to their limited customer base

 

[Rick Radford]

My take on safety and traffic police is that if safety is the prime consideration, then a very visible police presence always slows down traffic. An unmarked trooper or a hidden trap does nothing to slow traffic unless they are seen granting a lucky recipient a performance award. And then it's just 'til they're past the ossifer and then it's back up to speed.

But what do you see when a marked state trooper in cruising down the interstate? (a looong line of traffic behind!)

(and what this has to do with Geico is beyond me!)

 

[Philip Hamm]

Todd Hochard, I've found that instead of fostering road rage by making tailgaters pissed off (your solution) a better strategy is to simply pull into the next lane and let them pass me and tailgate someone else. I guess being on a motorcycle not inside a nice quiet protective cage changes my attitude.

 

[Michael Caicedo]

pull into the next lane and let them pass me

I agree with Philip on this. I also learned to do this when I used to ride ( BMWR1100R ). Most often slowing down to annoy the guy behind me would also raise my blood pressure up, since you'd never know how that driver would react to this- run me off the road or worse. I have to say riding bikes made me a better driver all around. I learned to anticipate better, be more aware of my surroundings, etc.

 

[MickeS]

Or, they get to enjoy a nice, SLOW trip down the freeway, courtesy of ME.

Your need to police the other drivers would severely piss me off if I was driving behind you, especially if you were in the left lane.

Leave the police work to the police, and concentrate on avoiding accidents, even if the other drivers are jerks.

/Mike

 

[Jason Handy]

Would it piss you off even if you were in the right lane? That is what your post implies, and I think that it is unfair to get mad at someone for going the speed limit in the right lane. Just because traffic is congested and there is a slowpoke in the left lane does not automatically change the right hand lane into the autobahn.

This happened to me on the way to work this morning, I was in the right hand lane driving a comfortable pace, but happened to be going faster than a truck in the left hand lane going up a hill. Well I get this @$$hole come up so fast and so close to me that I could see what he had for breakfast between his teeth. So, is that fair? Or are you gonna get pissed off at me because I am not going as fast as you want me to go?

Jason

 

[Todd Hochard]

Lighten up, Francis(es) .
We disagree on some things- so be it. I make no apologies for my actions- I REFUSE to be intimidated by some jackass behind me. This typically happens when someone is directly in front of me, and nobody has any place to go. I think you happen to overestimate my malicious intent here- if you rode with me, perhaps you would understand more clearly. I don't go out everyday seeking to inspire great acts of road rage, but I choose not to be timid, either. Courteous until provoked- call it what you will- whatever.
In 17 years of driving, I've had exactly one accident, very minor, that didn't go on my record. I was in Maine, showing my parents around our temporary home, driving their SUV. I was traveling into an intersection (about 40mph), my green light (and had been for several seconds) and this idiot runs the red light (from my left) going 60+ (in a 50 zone). I happened to catch him in my very left peripheral, and braked and swerved hard right, sliding the SUV around a bit (even with anti-lock), and he missed me by