So how goddamn stupid are our mandatory car insurance state laws that make you pay money you often don't have? Almost every state has them, there are a couple others besides New Hampshire I believe that don't. What is the point? If someone wants to drive without insurance, that's their f*cking problem if they "suddenly get in a wreck and don't have money to pay it".. why does government force you to do things that if you otherwise didn't do, you wouldn't be endangering anyone anyway?
I usually don't like the government to tell people what to do. I would be against it if it were not for the obvious impact on other people when someone drives without insurance. The issue is not people insuring themselves, or their cars, it is having liability insurance for when they hit or injure someone else. It is not like you can avoid being involved in an accident with an uninsured person. Home insurance, sure go without it. Don't want to insure your car against theft, no problem. But letting someone drive uninsured puts everyone else at risk. You say they are not endangering anyone but that is simply not true. When you get hit by an uninsured motorist, as I have been, it directly impacts others negatively.
Just make it law not to hit anybody then. Why punish everyone for what they haven't done yet? It's like smacking your kid in the face before you go in a store and then tell them if they act up you'll do it ten times harder. I didn't do a damn thing yet why do I have to pay in to the corporate car-tax?
The problem is when I get hit by some idiot with no insurance and who has no money to pay. They should never have been issued a license to drive on the roads. I do understand the argument on the other side, but I happen to come down on the side of mandatory car insurance. It is a different problem than malpractice insurance for doctors or lawyers, etc. I would not think that type of insurance should be mandatory because of a big distinction. If you don't want to see those uninsured professionals, you have that choice. You simply can't prevent being involved in an accident with an uninsured motorist - there is no choice. I am not sure what the numbers are, but I would suspect that most drivers are involved in at least some type of accident at some point. Obviously, it is a major accident that people are most concerned with not a small fender bender. From my experience it is the poor who tend to drive without insurance, and while that is a risk they may wish to take it is not one everyone else should be forced to take as well. If you get into a major accident Nate, that is your fault, and you injure someone to the point where they need $250,000 of medical care, why should that person just be screwed because you didn't want insurance?
I gotcha, I expected an answer similar to the one you gave but you explained it better than I expected. Of course, I think there are better free-market solutions to the problem.. but that isn't the point.
I don't like the idea of the government telling people what to insure and have argued the other side of this issue. But, eventually, I came to see that this really was the best solution for everyone. It is made easier for me because I see the value in insurance and would have it regardless of the law. I can't really think of a fairer solution. What would you suggest? How does the free market take care of this? The only other things I can think of would be some sort of road use fee or tax that could be used for victims of car accidents, but that seems no better than mandatory insurance and in many ways worse.
You can drive on private property without car insurance. The highways are public propery and the government has the right to set rules like driver licenses, car insurance and no driving drunk.
Car insurance laws are necessary, however some of them make me angry. I agree that everyone should have liability insurance in case they hit you so that they have to pay. On the other hand, I got a DUI years ago and still have to pay SR-22 insurance, its ridiculous, I pay nearly $400 a month for the minimum state liability requirement, I don't even drive drunk anymore! Also I hate car insurance companies. In order to not have to pay out as much (and make even more than their already ridiculously huge income) they were behind seat belt and speed limit laws, basically extorting states, via the federal government, by threatening to pull 100% of transportation dollars if they did not adopt these laws. I was in a car accident without my seat belt, I was ejected from the car, which was crushed, and told that I would surely be did had I been wearing my seat belt. Of course if I want to follow the car insurance company's laws I would be dead right now...
here its not that expensive only about 250$ for 3 months but i hate it because you have to it , you like it or not. Now if you wanna cancel it not so easy it require a lot of paper works. And yyou cannot renew it for 1 months after last cancelation date.
Driving is a privilege, not a right. If you don't want to pay insurance, don't drive. The government has a duty to protect its people any way possible, including financially (although, here lately, they've been failing miserably) I think there should be more regulation on the insurance companys though, Just because you get a ticket 5 years ago for speeding, or a DUI years ago, doesn't mean your insurance should go up, I agree with a 2-3 year time frame where they should charge more as you have proven yourself atm to be an unresponsible driver and you have a higher risk than others of causing a wreck. I've been contemplating filing a class action lawsuit against places like state farm, geico, etc. for discriminating against me based on sex...wonder how well that would go over. By the way, I'm a married 22 year old male, I pay 45 dollars a month for liability, before I got married.....210 dollars....bs. My wife? her quote is like 24 or something like that, so she's my primary driver now Now, I think discriminating based on sex is outrageous, same with age. Driving experience? Thats ok.
Be glad the government lets you live as long as they do, don't push your luck, etc. Yeahh, we know The government's two primary roles to play is to "protect" and pretend to fail. They've done a great job of protecting us with the Patriot Act, protecting us from a depression with the Federal Reserve (oxymoron I know), protection from alternative health practices (mainly through the FDA), protecting the world by starting and fueling wars. They want to protect you from yourself by making decisions for you. I'm surprised how narrow the posts here have been, nobody has brought up privatization of roads?
What are you going to do if someone without insurance crashes into you and you can't work afterwards?
I think there is a point of view a lot of people might be missing here IMO. Especially those that are of the idea that just because you are in an accident with an uninsured motorist you should simply have to pay for all damages to your car and yourself. My thing is, everyone seems to be forgetting that you are already paying an "insurance" company to pay for these things. If you're in an accident with an uninsured motorist the default judgment should be that instead of each person's insurance paying for the other's, your insurance just covers you and all damages to you and your car leaving the uninsured person up the creek... as they should be. But hey, they don't want that. Because that might involve an "insurance" company actually having to pay for what you are paying them to pay for I keep quoting the word insurance because of course "insurance" companies don't actually "insure" anything. They take your money then turn around and do everything they can to not pay you. Talk about laws, where are the laws that keep insurance companies from not paying out just because you weren't wearing a seatbelt for example? Bottom line, if you're in an accident, and they can't prove it was fraud, any extenuating circumstances are irrelevant. They need to pay, period. You pay insurance so they can pay to fix you and or your car if you're in an accident. Car "insurance" is a state and federal government sanctioned ponzi scheme. Every single vehicle (not just every driver) in nearly every state has to be insured. Yu can just imagine how powerful the insurance lobby had to have been to make that happen and keep it that way for this long.
I might also point out that there are ways to save on car insurance as well. Collision coverage is not needed if you own your won car. It also is possible to drive without car insurance if you post a bond. Car insurance has gotten more costly as people drive more expensive cars and medical costs are out of control.
Actually...won't work in Florida. When I started working at home I let my insurance lapse to save money. I didn't drive - its a short walk to the store or I could hitch a ride with my lady if I wanted to go somewhere. About two months later I get a letter from the state telling me they'll issue a huge fine if I don't get my truck insured ASAP. I didn't drive it, it didn't matter. Even if its just going to sit on the driveway, you need to be insured or your tag can be suspended. I thought it was a bit over the edge... I understand mandatory insurance when you're on the public roads, but requiring it so I can park a car on my own driveway? That's kind of absurd!
What if your car rolled out of the driveway and struck another car? Or a child? Sure, I will be the first to admit the chances of that happening are slim, but it's the same principle as health insurance. I go to the doctor once a year, but I carry health insurance on slim chance I get hit by a bus one day....
If you do not have money for insurance, you should not be driving. What's the point? The point is if you drive something that can cause harm to someone or someone's property, you need to have insurance to cover any damages, injuries or loss of life. Nothing stupid about that. The only stupid people are the ones driving around without insurance. No, its the problem of the people they hurt, and the property owners whose stuff they damage. Its no different to make it illegal to drive drunk. I mean, hey, why is government telling you what you can and cannot do when it comes to drinking and driving? Sheesh, if you get in a wreck and kill someone, so be it. Why have any laws? Is this really a serious question you are asking or did you get a ticket for not having insurance?