May I Please Have Another

So high risk area drivers are paying too much for car insurance. This bill will make people in Pulaski, Niagara and Rhinelander Wisconsin pay Milwaukee's high risk rates. How much money do they think we have? Bend over and get another cost increased rammed up your rear end!

From JSOnline

"Proposal would eliminate ZIP codes as factor in Wisconsin car insurance rates

By Paul Gores of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Sept. 23, 2009
All Politics Blog

All other factors being equal, car insurance would cost the same whether you lived in a high-risk area in Milwaukee or a sparsely populated rural town under a proposal in the state Legislature.

Some Democratic legislators have revived the plan even though Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed a similar measure that was included in the latest state budget.

Generally, the cost of insuring a vehicle can be 40% to 60% higher in the state's most heavily populated areas, unless a credit score - itself a controversial and influential measure - is a mitigating factor, one longtime Wisconsin insurance professional said. The risk of thefts, vandalism and accidents typically is higher in densely populated areas.

Proponents of the plan to eliminate ZIP codes as a factor in setting rates contend that with mandatory car insurance taking effect next year, insurance should be priced more evenly across the state.

"We're just trying to make it affordable. We want people to comply and go out there and get insurance, and this is one of the barriers," said state Rep. Leon Young (D-Milwaukee).

The insurance industry is opposing the bill, saying premiums would go up for motorists in less-congested areas if it becomes law. The current system is fair because it lets companies charge more where the risk and cost of auto insurance claims are higher, insurers say.

"If insurers can't use ZIP codes, it would just be a redistribution of premium - plain and simple," said Steve Witmer, a spokesman for Madison-based American Family Insurance, the state's largest insurer of autos.

In addition to ZIP codes and credit scores, insurers look at factors such as driving records, the number of miles driven in a year, the customer's age, the type of car and amount of coverage in setting premiums. According to the Insurance Information Institute, insurers also consider local trends such as the number of accidents and car thefts in areas where customers live.

State Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee), the author the bill prohibiting what he calls "ZIP code discrimination," said constituents in his south side district have reported bizarre cases of their auto insurance premiums dramatically increasing after moving nearby where the ZIP code was different.

"This makes no sense," Carpenter said in a statement. "I don't think good drivers should have to pay extra because other parts of their ZIP code - which could be miles away - may have higher crime rates or more irresponsible drivers. My bill will make sure that auto insurance premiums will be based upon the driver's record, the years of experience a driver has behind the wheel, and the miles driven, not ZIP codes."" Proposal would eliminate ZIP codes as factor in Wisconsin car insurance rates - JSOnline