Insurance Problems

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by Slick61

you obviously haven't dealt with Kalifornia DMV before...

The last thing we need is more governmental regulation/intervention. However good the intent may be going in... the outcome would most likely be grotesquely mutilated into some horrid piece of legislation that causes more misery than it ever hoped to prevent. Too much influence from special interest groups & the ever-present lunatic fringe. If excessive claims become a major issue, the market/industry will correct that on its own. I say let's help the industry find a solution... not look to the government to do it.

two words... PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!!!

Kalifornia already requires insurance before they will allow you to register a vehicle there (unless of course you are here illegally!). All we really need from the state is to enforce the current law.

[Naumoff]

Originally Posted by Cobrabill

O.K.-now where do you draw the line at vehicle types that need a special license?

We don't.
Everyone should take a car safety driving course.

[Slick61]

Originally Posted by WarrenG

Kalifornia already requires insurance before they will allow you to register a vehicle there (unless of course you are here illegally!). All we really need from the state is to enforce the current law.

We weren't discussing the insurance requirement... we were discussing the DMV mandating driving courses as part of Cobra ownership...

[STL Mark]

Let's do some internal polling here - Can somebody start a poll?

Have you ever filed an insurance claim on your Cobra?
Have you ever wrecked your Cobra?
Was it your fault? (be honest)
Somebody else's fault?
Deer's fault?
Car accident?
Theft or Fire?
Other?

I am really interested to see how many members/owners here have actually filed claims (Cobra Related Only) and how they actually compare to other groups of autos (and owners).

So can somebody make a poll?

[WarrenG]

Originally Posted by Slick61

We weren't discussing the insurance requirement... we were discussing the DMV mandating driving courses as part of Cobra ownership...

That's right, and I was disagreeing with that idea. I prefer to leave it to the insurance companies to require the training prior to granting insurance coverage.

[ByronRACE]

There are no additional training requirements for street cars as the performance level of the vehicle increases and NO performance driving training requirements for driving cars in the US, period. Nobody is ever tested on collision avoidance, braking, handling, etc. Hell, in CA they don't even do a safety inspection on most vehicles. If you have a heartbeat, you can drive...even if you can't read english street signs. No problem we provide the manual in any language you like. Even braille.

Personally, I think there should be better controls. In fact, I think the training and certification process should be done with the vehicle in question.

If a little old 90yr old lady driving her galaxy 500 can't swerve in time to miss that kid on the bike, sorry, but get her off the road! If dude in the Cobra is seeing deer on every turn, get him off the road!

I think people should be certified in the vehicles they drive. Or, at the very least for a "performance class" of vehicle they are qualified to drive. This would keep new drivers in low performance cars until they learn how to drive them. I'd be more than happy to run my Cobra through a car handling course under the scrutiny of a driving instructor in order demonstrate my ability to control the car and renew my certificate. Why is that so hard?

Yeah, it'd be an hour of inconvenience every couple of years, but that's a lot less inconvenient than driving in a sea of people that might do anything at any given time simply because they don't know any better. Frankly, I'm tired of it.

Or, if you can't do that...how about this...

Offer an attractive insurance premium for people that have passed a certification process for driving competency and car control, and a safety inspection on the vehicle you are insuring. Then, raise your rates on all the rest. I'll be more than happy to move my policy over from State Farm in support of an attractive program like that.

[lucforce]

Byron,

I like what you are saying, but there is no way my local dmv could get me in and out in an hour. It takes 4-6 just for them to take a picture!

[fsstnotch]

I lived in Japan for a couple years. let me tell you... They have some VERY rigorous drivers training/tests before they can even get a license!! Given Japan's population per area, there should be accidents all the time.. but there are not! I seen very few accidents while I was there.. most were caused by americans! haha But the ones that were not, they were younger guys mostly in very souped up cars meant to go very fast or drift!

I hadn't thoguth abotu the fact that you have to have the insurance before the registration. So yes, the insurance should enforce the driving courses before insuring. If the driver refuses, either they get no insurance or they have rediculous rates. I know I was 21 when i was first going to buy a GSXr 750. Until I looked at the insurance quote! It was like $600/mo for full coverage on a loaned bike. by the time I added the loan payments and the insurance, I could have bought a vette or something! And that quote was no tickets, no accidents!

I agree... make the owner resonsible!!! If we had responsible owners, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

[Smoking Cobra]

Here in Ct you need insurance to register any car. Also to register your Cobra or any other Roller/Hot rod you have to TRAILER the car to dmv for a complete inspection. They are very serious about making sure your car is safe to drive. VERY few pass the first time, most take 2-3 visits. I realize this does not m ake a safe driver, but does make sure the car is safe to drive.
And yes it's a nightmare to go thru. No way would i want dmv to run a safe driver program.
joeg

[jdog]

Do you do Lambo's?

http://www.local6.com/news/13872989/detail.html

jdog

[fsstnotch]

I was wondering more about Ferrari's?
If you do a search on google for "wrecked Enzo" you get so many pics it's kind of sickening! Given the number of Enzo's made.. are there any left?! haha How would an insurance company recover from this?


Utah


Or how about a konigsegg CCX?

[Cobrabill]

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=79e_1187577635


sigh..............................

[Johnnyquest]

I don't care what the ages are that were mentioned earlier on the claims. The amount of seat time in one of our Cobras and the overal cabability of the driver says it all.

A couple years ago I had a guy come by to possibly buy my second Cobra. He even commented he wasn't that great of a driver but asked why I didn't let him drive

I classify myself as a good driver, but not overly confident. I don't drive at night because of the deer in my area. I love my car and treat it with respect.

I'm curious how many do the once over like I do:
1. Check tire pressure
2. Lights, horn, etc.
3. Belts
4. Fuel, oil, antifreeze

My heart still jumps everytime I drive it, you gotta love it.

JQ


By the way Dick Smith could probably have out driven me in an Escort

[Midwest Classic]

The lady driving the Cobra had problems from the beginning, she could not even find reverse. I agree with you JQ about the seat time and I think we will be doing something like that very soon with our rating, giving the current rates to people that have owned for a minimum of two years and a higher rate to those that have less than two years. We might give the better rate if they have taken a driving course but we are still a little undecided on that.

The only thing that some questioned was the age of the driver vs. claims and they were really all over the place as far as ages go.

Robbin

[olddog]

Originally Posted by Midwest Classic

The lady driving the Cobra had problems from the beginning, she could not even find reverse. I agree with you JQ about the seat time and I think we will be doing something like that very soon with our rating, giving the current rates to people that have owned for a minimum of two years and a higher rate to those that have less than two years. We might give the better rate if they have taken a driving course but we are still a little undecided on that.

The only thing that some questioned was the age of the driver vs. claims and they were really all over the place as far as ages go.

Robbin

As I recall the data you gave was mixed on time of owner ship. You (or someone) first used 18 months, and the majority of claims had owned longer than 18 months. I don't know if 2 years would change the outcome.

You never did get the data on hp levels. My small block car will not break the tires loose in 1st gear at WOT from a rolling start. Sure I could dump the clutch, if I chose to, and set the tires up in smoke. My point is that my car simply does not have the power to get away from you like the video of the lady.

If you raise my rates on this tiny amount of data based mostly on opinion and very little on data, I guess I am free to shop elsewhere.