If I was in charge (which is a horrifying thought), I would simply increase incentives, both positive and negative, for consistently demonstrating common sense. For example, if you choose to bike with a helmet, you get a decreased insurance rate. If you get in an accident because you were text messaging, then you pay a penalty.

Ok, probably not realistic, but I think my stupidity tax idea would work better than endlessly passing laws.

I used to get worked up when I saw someone doing something stupid while driving, but it got to the point where it’s like a third of the drivers I see, so I decided to quit stressing out over the unbelievable ignorance of people, since they’re so dumb there’s no hope for them. I just pray it’s them who’s hurt when the inevitable disaster strikes.

I would love to see one of the TV crews do an expose’ on the subject, find people putting on makeup, working on their laptop, eating a bowl of cereal, reading the paper, etc. while driving and follow them to their destination and just ask them: what the @&#* are you thinking?!?

Speaking of stupid drivers causing harm/damage to others, I was run off the road last Friday by a semi that failed to yield to me at a merge point. I was on SB 280 heading to WB 94. At one point there is an onramp from University and Franklin Aves. that joins the ramp onto WB 94, but it has its own lane for awhile before merging.

I was in the left through lane when the truck came beside me. At the point where his lane has a sign that says “Lane ends merge left” he began coming into my lane. I laid on my horn and he looked in his mirror, made eye contact and kept coming, forcing me off the road. He rendered my passenger mirror on my van useless.

I got back on the road behind him, but I couldn’t change lanes since I couldn’t see out the right side. Fortunately I was going SB on 35W so didn’t need to change lanes. When the “exit only” signs came for 35W SB, the truck moved over and I was able to get beside him and see he drove for Northridge Express out of Clearwater.

At this point I pulled over and was able to rig my mirror to make it operable. I also called my wife and had her look up the number to Northridge Express to call his boss.

His boss was belligerent and basically had a “who cares” attitude. When I told him my next call was to the State Patrol he said “if that’s the case, this call is over”. I told him I just made a courtesy call to him, because I thought he might like to know he has a potentially lethal driver working for him.

My wife was incensed by this whole thing and called to get some more answers. She was transferred to a safety guy who had the actual driver of the truck call her. He said it was my lane that ended and that any damage was my fault. I went back and took pictures of the scene and sign and then called his boss and said “not that you seem to care, but I thought you might like to know that not only is that guy a deadly driver who uses his rig to force his way into traffic instead of yielding the right of way, buy he’s also a bold-faces liar”.

I sent two quotes to them to fix the mirror, but they have not replied. Great company, huh?

First of all, the insurance industry, more so than say a bank, attracts people who want to “help” other people. This gives the industry a liberal slant, and personal responsibility is not a liberal value.

Secondly, to take the example of a teenager texting. Suppose she rams her bike into a car and then we deny her claim. Her sob story is going to be plastered all over the media, not the story about how we’re saving our intelligent customers 20% on their premiums. To use a real example, with the I-35W bridge disaster the insurance companies decided not to go after the money paid by the state as compensation even though the compensation was intended in part for health care expenses, expenses which the insurance companies already paid for. Doing so would have been a public relations disaster. Insurance companies are already regarded on the same level as the IRS and collection agencies by most people, so we’re sensitive about bad press. Unlike the IRS it’s a free market so people can choose our competition when it’s time to renew.

Finally, there are all kinds of laws and regulations, and more keep coming. If we tried to deny coverage to obese people how long do you think it would take for a law to be passed. Going after people not wearing seatbelts might be more palatable to the public but the saving would be relatively small. Only a fraction of the claims coming through here are reviewed, and only some of those are auto accident claims, and the auto insurance companies will pay first up to the limit of their medical pay provisions.

So about all that’s been done is to jack up the rates for smokers, offer discounts to people that participate in health incentives, pay preventive care at first dollar, and write exlusions for behavior that goes beyond stupid into outragous, like traveling in a war zone or committing a felony.