You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Now with 3x more gears...

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by GGG

I don’t think in benefits insurance companies long term.

Maybe an initial bump from a reduction in accidents but once you have statistically significant data on the new rate of accidents premiums would adjust and the company would make less as in general insurance rates are actuarially calculated costs times a markup.

So long term insurance companies don’t care about the rate of accidents. They care if there is a change in the rate of accidents over the insured term.

So something like Covid was really bad as it increased the rate of death of people who are paying insurance rates based on historical rates of death. Getting people to live healthier who already have insurance pays off. So only by reducing death rates could you have any longer term impact on insurance profits.

Why wouldn't it? There's a reason why you can request a discount for winter tires and if you agreed to do that 1 year monitoring thing.

I don't like the idea of mandatory re-testing, but getting discounts for a combination of being claims free AND calculation based on the last time you passed insurance approved driver skill training, performance improvement etc. would make a ton of sense to me.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Why wouldn't it? There's a reason why you can request a discount for winter tires and if you agreed to do that 1 year monitoring thing.

I don't like the idea of mandatory re-testing, but getting discounts for a combination of being claims free AND calculation based on the last time you passed insurance approved driver skill training, performance improvement etc. would make a ton of sense to me.

The insurance company can lower your rate because your risk is lower which allows them to offer you a better rate than a competitor who doesn’t have that data.

But if there was a mandate that everyone have winter tires insurance companies would reduce rates in general to reflect the risk reduction which doesn’t increase their profits as insurance is actuarial risk * mark up.

I’m not saying it wouldn’t reduce premiums, I’m saying insurance companies wouldn’t pay for it because they don’t benefit from safer drivers on a long term basis.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by GGG

I don’t think in benefits insurance companies long term.

Maybe an initial bump from a reduction in accidents but once you have statistically significant data on the new rate of accidents premiums would adjust and the company would make less as in general insurance rates are actuarially calculated costs times a markup.

So long term insurance companies don’t care about the rate of accidents. They care if there is a change in the rate of accidents over the insured term.

So something like Covid was really bad as it increased the rate of death of people who are paying insurance rates based on historical rates of death. Getting people to live healthier who already have insurance pays off. So only by reducing death rates could you have any longer term impact on insurance profits.

Are you saying that you think having more bad drivers on the road doesn’t increase the driving related death rate?

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Nufy

Auction bidders...

Not so much of a gear grinder but amazement as to how people can get carried away when bidding on stuff.

I am in on a liquor store close out auction. I have a guys golf trip coming up so I thought I would try to get some cheaper booze for the golf marathon.

The auction is closing today and as I am checking on my bids I notice that some people have bid more than you would pay at the store for some of this stuff.

And its standard crappy beer / seltzers / coolers etc...

With the buyers premium and then GST, these people will be paying more than if they just went to their local liquor store.

Plus you then have to go pick it up !

Just for the thrill of winning I guess.

I was looking at that auction and had a bunch of bottles of scotch and wine on my watchlist but they all pretty much sold at retail price or higher. I don't understand what the hell was going on there.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

Are you saying that you think having more bad drivers on the road doesn’t increase the driving related death rate?

I considered it, but I don’t think driver testing actually does that.

You an re making an assumption that improving testing actually improves driving ability and that improved driving ability in the areas that testing improves reduces death rates.

We know that the current level of testing produces drivers which are at the highest collision rates. Young people. So testing certainly doesn’t substitute experience at driving in terms of reducing collision rates

In terms of things that cause excessive injuries it’s things like not paying attention, speeding, intoxication, fatigue etc that are leading to deaths on the road. What type of fatality collision do you think the current road test would reduce. I’d argue it will have no affect on intoxication, distracted driving, or speeding.

Perhaps regular defensive driving training could have the affect you are looking for.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by GGG

I considered it, but I don’t think driver testing actually does that.

You an re making an assumption that improving testing actually improves driving ability and that improved driving ability in the areas that testing improves reduces death rates.

We know that the current level of testing produces drivers which are at the highest collision rates. Young people. So testing certainly doesn’t substitute experience at driving in terms of reducing collision rates

In terms of things that cause excessive injuries it’s things like not paying attention, speeding, intoxication, fatigue etc that are leading to deaths on the road. What type of fatality collision do you think the current road test would reduce. I’d argue it will have no affect on intoxication, distracted driving, or speeding.

I think the biggest benefit would be people who are no longer competent to drive for age related reasons.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by GGG

I considered it, but I don’t think driver testing actually does that.

You an re making an assumption that improving testing actually improves driving ability and that improved driving ability in the areas that testing improves reduces death rates.

We know that the current level of testing produces drivers which are at the highest collision rates. Young people. So testing certainly doesn’t substitute experience at driving in terms of reducing collision rates

In terms of things that cause excessive injuries it’s things like not paying attention, speeding, intoxication, fatigue etc that are leading to deaths on the road. What type of fatality collision do you think the current road test would reduce. I’d argue it will have no affect on intoxication, distracted driving, or speeding.

Perhaps regular defensive driving training could have the affect you are looking for.

I’d bet any money that if re-testing were implemented there would be people who fail. If you disagree with that then fair enough I suppose even though I think most people would agree with my position. The bottom line is with fewer drivers, especially ones who can’t pass a basic road test, there would be fewer accidents.

IMO they also need to change the road test. I never understood why things like going an inch up on a rounded curb during your parallel park is an automatic fail but forgetting to shoulder check isn’t. To your point, one is far more likely to cause a serious accident.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Nufy

I still have most of my cassettes from High School.

80's hard rock still rules...

I had a ‘78 Camaro with an 8-track player. With an adapter we could play cassette tapes.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

I’d bet any money that if re-testing were implemented there would be people who fail. If you disagree with that then fair enough I suppose even though I think most people would agree with my position. The bottom line is with fewer drivers, especially ones who can’t pass a basic road test, there would be fewer accidents.

IMO they also need to change the road test. I never understood why things like going an inch up on a rounded curb during your parallel park is an automatic fail but forgetting to shoulder check isn’t. To your point, one is far more likely to cause a serious accident.

Fewer accidents is not necessarily proportional to fewer deaths. As you clearly identify the factors involved in testing are not the factors involved in deaths.

Parallel parking though is a critical skill it shows you understand the position of your car which would reduce parking lot bumps and scrapes which is good for people in general but doesn’t affect insurance companies over the long term.

There does not appear to be evidence to support that retesting would reduce fatalities.

[Wormius]

Waiting for an injury under the fingernail to grow out. Is there a fingernail polish that is for hiding injuries? Like not glossy or really obvious?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Waiting for an injury under the fingernail to grow out. Is there a fingernail polish that is for hiding injuries? Like not glossy or really obvious?

So you have a black finger nail?

Is this a big deal?

[Fuzz]

Paint all of them black, and tell people you are going through your goth phase.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

So you have a black finger nail?

Is this a big deal?

I dislike it, and it looks bad.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Paint all of them black, and tell people you are going through your goth phase.

I don’t like weird nails. The worst are people who keep their pinkies especially extra long. Why??

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I don’t like weird nails. The worst are people who keep their pinkies especially extra long. Why??

Nose Beers

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Nose Beers

Really?

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Really?

Really really.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/defi...m=Coke%20Nails

Coke Nails

When a person has one significantly longer fingernail on one or both hand(s), most often the pinkie nail, which is used for scooping up powder cocaine and snorting it.

[GirlySports]

Like any test, if you had time to study and practice, you could pass it. But if you sprang it on people then yeah, they would probably fail. That's what testing in general is.

Go take the Canadian Citizenship test right now. You'd be deported.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by GGG

Fewer accidents is not necessarily proportional to fewer deaths. As you clearly identify the factors involved in testing are not the factors involved in deaths.

Parallel parking though is a critical skill it shows you understand the position of your car which would reduce parking lot bumps and scrapes which is good for people in general but doesn’t affect insurance companies over the long term.

There does not appear to be evidence to support that retesting would reduce fatalities.

I think the restricting old people argument saves lives in a way that doesn't show up in statistics, because even low-speed/minor-injury car accidents canhave severe consequences for the elderly.

Story time: I had a great aunt who shouldn't have been driving in her eighties. She had an at-fault t-bone accident in an intersection. The other driver wasn't injured, but she had a broken hip. That wouldn't have counted as a fatality accident in any statistics, but it definitely precipitated her death. She never walked again, and was released from the hospital directly to a care facility where she died shortly thereafter.

Her long-time family doctor had signed her medical release previously, which was ridiculous, but I feel bad for Dr's needing to be the bad guy on that stuff - it really should be a gov't test.

So in that case, while it wasn't a direct fatality, the cost of repairing two vehicles plus a long hospital stay plus a few months in long term care add up to a pretty significant societal cost. Even if you assume she would have died shortly thereafter from something else, having her not drive would have saved society a bunch of money and her a bunch of pain and suffering.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Really?

Sweet innocent Wormius