make sense...my failure to have insurance as the lead car does not alter your responsibility for rear-ending me...my lack of insurance in no way caused your negligence in failing to stop before striking my rear...that, to me, is common sense, but we all know that some state's laws have no common sense...
After all, their laws are usually written by...........................LAWYERS!!!!!
Only a fool would beleive in a "non-insured tractor beam"...I cannot believe the silliness expressed by this poster...
Now, if you will excuse me, I will beam myself up to the courthouse where I will confer in high legal terms, incomprehensible to a layman like you, with Kirk, Spock, Picard and Data...
I will leave you now, at Warp Factor 7, as I have run seriously low on our supply of Di-Lithium Crystals... :P :shades:
If you drive around without insurance, couldn't the state say you can't avail yourself of the court system, so that you couldn't sue the at fault driver even though he smashed into your car? I guess the public policy implications of that are too big, but it would sure encourage more people to get car insurance.
The uninsured was advised by the at fault driver that he, the at fault driver, would not report the crash to the state if the uninsured paid for the damages to the at fault driver's car. The purpose was to help the uninsured keep his driving PRIVILEGE from being taken away by the state's Financial Responsibility Law which states, "Thou shall not be INVOLVED in a crash without insurance."
Determination of Fault, otherwise, is not the issue. It is not extortion either. It IS an opportunity for the uninsured to keep his license for the PRIVILEGE not deserved by being uninsured.
Please understand, I am NOT justifying driving w/o insurance...I think the uninsured driver should be "hanged from the neck until dead" (as they say in the old westerns with a hanging judge, not to be confused with a hanging chad)...anyone driving w/o insurance should be fined the maximum, in the hopes that they will NEVER consider doing that again...plus, as a plug, that is why all those who DO have insurance, always have U/M coverage, in case you ARE struck by the idiot who is uninsured...
I think I have read somewhere that your insurance is invalid and won't pay you a dime if your car is damaged while you are committing a crime. I think driving without insurance could be classified as breaking the law.
DUI in British Columbia is a crime up there even if you were convicted of same in the lower 48. (Perhaps it is true in the whole country because............
Yanks with a DUI have been turned back by Canadian Customs so maybe being caught driving without financial responsibility will some day be a crime also on the Socialist agenda down here.
Getting a year in prison for no insurance in Massachusetts sounds criminal to me. Probably depends on your state whether driving without it is a violation, infraction, misdemeanor or whatever.
Was just a Google search. Those links flopped up in a search for driving+without+insurance. Took 0.37 seconds.
I have no role in the industry and never did. I just hang out here waiting for Bob/Marsha7 to tell me when it's ok to drop collision on my 10 year old minivan that's now worth maybe $2,500. :shades:
Salvage value after crash is $750 you get this (could be more) Premium for collision is 50 you get to keep due to no ins. Deductible for collision 100 you get to keep due to no ins. Your money totals $900 so your are really only risking $1,600 w/o insurance.
The above example is just that. You can work out your own using your real $ amounts.
After dropping collision, make sure you have UMPD coverage and then drive more defensively & safely than before. I am.
If the vehicle is worth only $2500, I would guess you could drop it...BUT, if the premium was a measly $50 per year, with a $250 deductible or less, I would still call it a cheap gamble and keep it on...
Sometimes it is simply a mental trip...some folks would be severely damaged if they had to come up with the $2500 to replace the vehicle if totalled...yet, that same person may be able to budget their premium because "they have to have insurance"...so, paying the (mythical) premium of $50 makes more sense than dropping it...
Kinda like whole life insurance, the worst rip-off in the entire world...but if a person simply cannot put away $20 a week in savings, but can force themselves to pay the inflated whole life premium, they will, at least, force themselves to save thru the policy...do I recommend it???...not really, but some folks can pay their bills religiously, but cannot save...so the car ins, or the whole life ins, is the best deal FOR THEM...if they could change their head trip, my recos would be different...
Regardless of the vehicle or its age or value, always keep UM and Medpay, always remebering that the value of the car has NO relation to whether or not you will be injured (medpay) or need to collect for P&S from an uninsured driver (U/M)...same with rental car ins, a $25 yearly premium, but will give you 30 days @ $30/day ($900 benefit) in case yours is wrecked...
Further, steve, you WILL keep ins on your vehicle until I say you may drop it, or the penalties will be severe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I've rarely had any life insurance coverage and I'm sure not buying any of that.
He was a Viet Nam vet with service connected disabilities who recently died.
He left a widow and a two year old Ford F250 without any life insurance or credit life insurance on the truck. She is in a financial bind because he refused life insurance and any of that.
One of my good friends is 58, single, no kids, very little debt. It'd be a total waste of money for him. Likewise, if your spouse is able to cover the debt with his/her salary alone (should the worst befall you), it doesn't make a lot of sense unless you just WANT to.
Or perhaps steve knows he's immortal.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
for having at least SOME term life is to pay for burial or cremation or burial at sea...the last thing your survivors need upon death is to pay for the cost of finally getting rid of you...
If one does not have credit life or mortgage life, then at least carry a term policy to cover any debts you have...
To saddle your survivors with your debt but not having your income is beyond selfish and unreasonable...
Even if you are single, at least cover the cost of your disposal, unless you want to be left to rot in the woods...
Cremation is $950 in Boise - that's like three car payments. I hear burial is even cheaper down in your neck of the woods where they just toss the bodies in the woods.
But I digress.
My next car insurance payment isn't due until March, at which time I'll yell at you again.
How does one "saddle my survivors with my debt"? Let's say I get hit by a Mack truck, I'm single, have a small term life ins policy to pay for my funeral, mortgaged to the max on my house, owe 6 figures on credit cards, just leased a new BMW 7-series, and have no other assets.
How do my survivors (parents) get saddled with my debt?
your funeral covered, and you are single, you would be fine...but if you were married in the same situation, someone would have to pay the mortgage or the wife and kids sleep on the street...
>First, let's kill all the lawyers...??? Who would be left to screw up the legal system if we were all gone??? Uh, wait, maybe I shouldn't post that...
Years back there were text documents of lawyer jokes circulating on the then new world wide web. Something like 101 jokes.
Isn't that a misquote of some lines in Shakepear where the discussion Involves the way to control a population of people? I thought the actual quote was something along the lines of if you want to take over a country you first kill the lawyers because they would prevent you from obtaining power by legal means.
Thus the quote used to bash lawyers was actually in praise of them.
Am I wrong? Maybe some of you folks with more "book learnin" than me can answer that. :confuse:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Having studied the law himself, it probably helped with his lawyer jokes. Shakespeare's Knowledge of Law. Apparently he also apprenticed for a law firm in London (as did Dickens). They both got smart and became John Grishams of their day. :shades:
I don't see anything about the Bard and insurance.
Steve, visiting host (and almost an English major)
""Insurance. An ingenious modern game of chance in which the player is permitted to enjoy the comfortable conviction that he is beating the man who keeps the table." - Ambrose Bierce
how ANYONE could mention "auto insurance" and not, in the same breath, utter the word "lawyer"...it's like macaroni and cheese, Lewis & Clark, Cain & Abel, Abercrombie & Fitch, Batman & Robin, you get the idea...
So, any mention of lawyer is ALWAYS on topic in the Auto Insurance topic...
I have no choice but to agree...but, if everyone actually did everything right, there would not be the need for courts, as there would be no disputes to resolve...it is an imperfect world we live in...
He was a curmudgeon of sorts, but he has a point I think.
What he meant I believe is that the actuarial "tables" are such that the insurance company can never lose.
Or perhaps he meant the same thing as I often tell people, that if you "win" against an insurance company they don't hang their heads, and if you "lose" they don't pump their fists in victory.
To an insurance company, it is all totally impersonal. It's about bottom line at the end of the year--did we take in more than we paid out?
Much like a casino, in fact.
Insurance would be a GREAT idea in principle if it didn't end up punishing the victim half the time.
I completely agree - when my car was totalled in an accident, my insurance company was FABULOUS - they were super-quick, gave me a fair (perhaps generous) amount, and I have NO intention of getting my auto insurance elsewhere. I'd like to have the same experience in the unfortunate case that this would ever happen again.
However, on the flip side, I am still in litigation with a different insurance company, and have been for more than THREE years. They will ultimately lose (and they suspect this, as they keep offering to settle), but in the interim they keep delaying and delaying.
The bottom line is that it is best to research insurance companies and what current & past customers have to say about them before buying. No, you can't control what insurance a third party might have, but you can control your own. Hot tip: Cheaper ain't always better.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
I have a question about a wreck i was recently in:
I was going about 60 mph on a 2 lane highway, it had just gotten dark and im driving along when i suddenly see a large wooden structure about 1 foot high and prolly 8x10ft. i had no time to react, didnt even hit brakes, just plowed through it in my sentra.
apparently some guy had been pulling a trailer with no lights out of a parking lot, and the trailer was hit by another driver about 30 seconds to a minute before i hit the rest of the trailer.
anywho, a lawyer that the other guy had hired contacted me and set me up to have my back checked out (it was kinda sore in some places) and mentioned i could get some money out of it i end up going to therapy for about a month and a half. the dr rated my injury as a 2 out of possible 3 as far as severity goes.
my therapy just ended, and when my lawyer receives everything she says they'll start negotiations for a settlement i guess, to be honest i didnt talk to the lawyer all that much, she just mentioned i could get money out of it.
my questions are: about how long does this time of negotiation take? also, what kind of money could i be looking at?
Did you seek treatment because you were injured, or did you seek treatment simply becauise osmeone said there was money in it???
2. "...a lawyer that the other guy had hired contacted me..." how does the other hire a lawyer for you???...unless I am misreading your post (and I often misread as the functional illiterate that I am), something sounds fishy to me...
Maybe you might explain a little better (or maybe I need to learn to read better)...
It's going to be hard for anyone to give answer your questions since you failed to mention if there was any damage done to your Sentra. Also did you inform YOUR insurance company about the accident? They should be the ones fighting for you not someone else's lawyer.
Not sure what you are looking to get out of this. Right now I think you'll only get whatever it takes to fix your Sentra and the doctor bills. Not sure what else you are expecting????
Comments
After all, their laws are usually written by...........................LAWYERS!!!!!
Now, if you will excuse me, I will beam myself up to the courthouse where I will confer in high legal terms, incomprehensible to a layman like you, with Kirk, Spock, Picard and Data...
I will leave you now, at Warp Factor 7, as I have run seriously low on our supply of Di-Lithium Crystals... :P
Steve, just a visiting host
Determination of Fault, otherwise, is not the issue. It is not extortion either. It IS an opportunity for the uninsured to keep his license for the PRIVILEGE not deserved by being uninsured.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Morally, yes. Legally, no. Driving w/o insurance, though very stupid and wrong, is not a criminal offense.
Yanks with a DUI have been turned back by Canadian Customs so maybe being caught driving without financial responsibility will some day be a crime also on the Socialist agenda down here.
Minn. Man Jailed for Driving without Insurance Beaten to Death by Inmate
Ex-NFL Player McCants, Driving without Insurance, Jailed in Alabama
It's hard to tell if those two were jailed just for not being able to show proof of insurance.
Steve, just a visiting host
I have no role in the industry and never did. I just hang out here waiting for Bob/Marsha7 to tell me when it's ok to drop collision on my 10 year old minivan that's now worth maybe $2,500. :shades:
I suspect you're past the point. So am I with my 98 LeSabre that's worth $3000.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Salvage value after crash is $750 you get this (could be more)
Premium for collision is 50 you get to keep due to no ins.
Deductible for collision 100 you get to keep due to no ins.
Your money totals $900 so your are really only risking $1,600 w/o insurance.
The above example is just that. You can work out your own using your real $ amounts.
After dropping collision, make sure you have UMPD coverage and then drive more defensively & safely than before. I am.
Sometimes it is simply a mental trip...some folks would be severely damaged if they had to come up with the $2500 to replace the vehicle if totalled...yet, that same person may be able to budget their premium because "they have to have insurance"...so, paying the (mythical) premium of $50 makes more sense than dropping it...
Kinda like whole life insurance, the worst rip-off in the entire world...but if a person simply cannot put away $20 a week in savings, but can force themselves to pay the inflated whole life premium, they will, at least, force themselves to save thru the policy...do I recommend it???...not really, but some folks can pay their bills religiously, but cannot save...so the car ins, or the whole life ins, is the best deal FOR THEM...if they could change their head trip, my recos would be different...
Regardless of the vehicle or its age or value, always keep UM and Medpay, always remebering that the value of the car has NO relation to whether or not you will be injured (medpay) or need to collect for P&S from an uninsured driver (U/M)...same with rental car ins, a $25 yearly premium, but will give you 30 days @ $30/day ($900 benefit) in case yours is wrecked...
Further, steve, you WILL keep ins on your vehicle until I say you may drop it, or the penalties will be severe!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Collision I can sort of justify - I've rarely had any life insurance coverage and I'm sure not buying any of that.
He was a Viet Nam vet with service connected disabilities who recently died.
He left a widow and a two year old Ford F250 without any life insurance or credit life insurance on the truck. She is in a financial bind because he refused life insurance and any of that.
No valid reason for not buying it. What is yours?
One of my good friends is 58, single, no kids, very little debt. It'd be a total waste of money for him. Likewise, if your spouse is able to cover the debt with his/her salary alone (should the worst befall you), it doesn't make a lot of sense unless you just WANT to.
Or perhaps steve knows he's immortal.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
Steve, just a visiting immortal host
Because when I go, I want my wife to be REAL sad I'm gone.
Besides, if I'm worth more dead than alive she might give me some assistance in "shuffling off this mortal coil".
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
If one does not have credit life or mortgage life, then at least carry a term policy to cover any debts you have...
To saddle your survivors with your debt but not having your income is beyond selfish and unreasonable...
Even if you are single, at least cover the cost of your disposal, unless you want to be left to rot in the woods...
But I digress.
My next car insurance payment isn't due until March, at which time I'll yell at you again.
How does one "saddle my survivors with my debt"? Let's say I get hit by a Mack truck, I'm single, have a small term life ins policy to pay for my funeral, mortgaged to the max on my house, owe 6 figures on credit cards, just leased a new BMW 7-series, and have no other assets.
How do my survivors (parents) get saddled with my debt?
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
First, let's kill all the lawyers...???
Who would be left to screw up the legal system if we were all gone???
Uh, wait, maybe I shouldn't post that...:):):)
Who would be left to screw up the legal system if we were all gone???
Uh, wait, maybe I shouldn't post that...
Years back there were text documents of lawyer jokes circulating on the then new world wide web. Something like 101 jokes.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Isn't that a misquote of some lines in Shakepear where the discussion Involves the way to control a population of people? I thought the actual quote was something along the lines of if you want to take over a country you first kill the lawyers because they would prevent you from obtaining power by legal means.
Thus the quote used to bash lawyers was actually in praise of them.
Am I wrong? Maybe some of you folks with more "book learnin" than me can answer that. :confuse:
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
No, I think that is a myth fabricated by lawyers.
Here's some interesting analysis: The Ethical Spectacle.
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
I don't see anything about the Bard and insurance.
Steve, visiting host (and almost an English major)
Did he get his Liability coverage canceled on his horse drawn buckboard?
So, any mention of lawyer is ALWAYS on topic in the Auto Insurance topic...
What he meant I believe is that the actuarial "tables" are such that the insurance company can never lose.
Or perhaps he meant the same thing as I often tell people, that if you "win" against an insurance company they don't hang their heads, and if you "lose" they don't pump their fists in victory.
To an insurance company, it is all totally impersonal. It's about bottom line at the end of the year--did we take in more than we paid out?
Much like a casino, in fact.
Insurance would be a GREAT idea in principle if it didn't end up punishing the victim half the time.
Without profit and investment income, honest & true claims could not be paid.
The purpose of insurance is to prevent a financial catastrophe and not be a maintence policy like a case of the sniffles is to medical insurance.
Victims are not punished, but made whole without raking in an undeserved profit.
The only "gamble" in the insurance industry is when you buy Retroactive Liability.
I'm not saying this is the norm or the intention, but it happens.
You can always google "worst insurance company in America" (or similar) and read the stories. It's not pretty.
Sometimes profit is definitely a 4-letter word (e.g., sell drugs to the Seven Dwarfs, etc. )
If we get slow here, I'll post gruesome tales from my files. Hide the children.
However, on the flip side, I am still in litigation with a different insurance company, and have been for more than THREE years. They will ultimately lose (and they suspect this, as they keep offering to settle), but in the interim they keep delaying and delaying.
The bottom line is that it is best to research insurance companies and what current & past customers have to say about them before buying. No, you can't control what insurance a third party might have, but you can control your own. Hot tip: Cheaper ain't always better.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
I was going about 60 mph on a 2 lane highway, it had just gotten dark and im driving along when i suddenly see a large wooden structure about 1 foot high and prolly 8x10ft. i had no time to react, didnt even hit brakes, just plowed through it in my sentra.
apparently some guy had been pulling a trailer with no lights out of a parking lot, and the trailer was hit by another driver about 30 seconds to a minute before i hit the rest of the trailer.
anywho, a lawyer that the other guy had hired contacted me and set me up to have my back checked out (it was kinda sore in some places) and mentioned i could get some money out of it i end up going to therapy for about a month and a half. the dr rated my injury as a 2 out of possible 3 as far as severity goes.
my therapy just ended, and when my lawyer receives everything she says they'll start negotiations for a settlement i guess, to be honest i didnt talk to the lawyer all that much, she just mentioned i could get money out of it.
my questions are: about how long does this time of negotiation take? also, what kind of money could i be looking at?
2. "...a lawyer that the other guy had hired contacted me..." how does the other hire a lawyer for you???...unless I am misreading your post (and I often misread as the functional illiterate that I am), something sounds fishy to me...
Maybe you might explain a little better (or maybe I need to learn to read better)...
Not sure what you are looking to get out of this. Right now I think you'll only get whatever it takes to fix your Sentra and the doctor bills. Not sure what else you are expecting????
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
I read the lawyer who contacted our poster also represents the "another driver" mentioned above.
some guy pulling a trailer with no lights out of a parking lot
I am curious. What was the posted speed limit?
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper