New Study Shows Poverty, Not Age, the Key Factor in Teen Crashes

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by notyoueither


If you want to go there, you can then say the same thing about blacks.

When do you want to allow demographics, and when do you want to ban the practice?

Relax, Gepap, I am not saying that being black and being 16 are the same thing. I am saying that discrimination bites, no matter what basis it is conducted on.

Arguably blacks are charged more -- not directly, but as an offshoot of where they live (since rates have a geographic dimension).

As I said, I don't think it's a fair system -- it's just not uniquely unfair to teens.

[Tuberski]

Again, Ozzy avoids me.

I'll make it simple.

Ozzy, you say that the age limits are arbitrary on a lot of things. Yes they are.

But to make it non-arbitrary, don't you have to allow everyone to drive and to vote?

If not, then what is your equally arbitrary age limit?

ACK!

[OzzyKP]

I think we should seek the least arbitrary system possible. Whatever that is. I don't have all the answers. I know that our current answer is arbitrary in a glaring way, and I think we should start looking for something that has a better fit. I don't know what that will ultimately look like.

I don't see why we need an all or nothing approach though. Is it possible that 18 is better than 30? Yes. Is it possible that 16 is better than 18? Yes. Is it possible that 12 is better than 16? Yes. We don't need to deal with absolutes. Laws don't have to be 0 or 30. We can find something in between, or find another way of determining it besides age that is less arbitrary. Might whatever solution we come up with still be somewhat arbitrary? Sure. But hopefully it'll be an improvement, shouldn't we at least try?

Only the Sith deal in absolutes. ACK

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


I personally don't understand why they're allowed to charge for being male or being 16, but not for being black. Seems sort of arbitrary...

edit: screw the otbot

I agree, it's bull****. I mean, if King Ralph can see the problem, it should be bleeding obvious.

Of course, here it took insurance companies getting greedy. People started to yelp about insurance rates being jerked up substantially for no apparent reason. Normal, middle class, middle aged, voting people (stupid insurance industry).

Then the gubmint was forced to take a good long look at it. What they saw was bull**** and prejudice piled on more bull**** combined with a desire to take the market for what it would bear. The market didn't bear so well, so it growled.

We didn't get a public insurer, that would have been like inviting the antii-christ to tea. What we got was a heavy regulatory hand on an indistry that badly needed it, and a correction of some historically abusive practices.

[KrazyHorse]

We didn't get a public insurer, that would have been like inviting the antii-christ to tea

Eh. Works pretty well in Quebec...

[notyoueither]

Not our way.

[Tuberski]

Okay then.

ACK!

[OzzyKP]

See that's the side of this debate that people don't see (or refuse to see). When we cling to such distorted stereotypes of teens as terrible drivers and shriek in newspapers that "our mothers, daughters, grandparents, aunts & uncles aren't safe as long as there is a teen on the road" then we give carte blanche to insurance companies to prey upon those stereotypes and make their policies fit the stereotype, not the facts. (or worse yet, fit the stats to match the stereotype, not the other way around).

A stereotype, especially a negative one is a bad thing itself because it can lead to so many additional problems. No one seems the harm in demonizing teens constantly... but then again they aren't teens.

[OzzyKP]

Originally posted by Tuberski
Okay then.

ACK!

[notyoueither]

Some people see it. The insurance industry gouging of youth was a well known irritant around here for years before the industry screwed up royally by jacking rates on 'normal people'.

That was their big screw up. They started jacking rates on 25 to 45 yo's in a bizarre game of chicken with the market.

The market struck back, through their MLAs, and the insurance industry lost some traditional profit cows like youth and males to boot.

Serves the dumb bastards right, in my book. If you're screwing over people enough to get the Government of Alberta to see it and give you a hefty smack down, you're one really stupid capitalist.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse

30yo urban *****

WTF does urban have to do with it?

It may just be a prejudice of mine, but I think you grow up faster in a rural area where you need to, and are expected to contribute from about the age of 12.

You don't get too many 30yo, unemployable college students who have lived in mom's basement for the last 12 years in rural communities.

I could be prejudiced though.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly


Arguably blacks are charged more -- not directly, but as an offshoot of where they live (since rates have a geographic dimension).

As I said, I don't think it's a fair system -- it's just not uniquely unfair to teens.

And a teen in the same area?

Triply screwed when they are charged a premium based on age and not just driving experience.

[KrazyHorse]

No, they're too busy taking farming subsidies in the West and UI cheques in the East...

Employment rates of large urban areas tend to be higher than in rural areas...

[KrazyHorse]

Smaller urban areas tend to have lower employment rates than either, though...

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by notyoueither


It may just be a prejudice of mine, but I think you grow up faster in a rural area where you need to, and are expected to contribute from about the age of 12.

You don't get too many 30yo, unemployable college students who have lived in mom's basement for the last 12 years in rural communities.

I could be prejudiced though.

I am being prejudiced.

There are young people in cities who aren't very good at math, biology, or english, who see the futility of school and so go to work at 14 or 15 or 16.

If you live in Edmonton, or Winnipeg, or Calgary, and you do not drive, your employment prospects are greatly diminished.