Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-11-08
HINTS FOR MOTORISTS

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+ There will be occasional instances
under the new law where persons
are injured and yet are unable to
secure financial indemnity from the
person responsible because any law
which does not automatically apply
to all motorists can go no further
than to base it's application upon the
actual records of all registrants. Iu-
evitably there will be first time"
for certain automobile owners whose
records were previously clear. Until
after their first accident the Com
missioner will not compel them to
qualify. Such cases, however, will
be few because the person with a
clear record over a period of years
is not the type Of person who is apt
to have an Accident-especially
where it is his fault.
The Connecticut law is aimed d.
rectly at that type of registrant who
has had several accidents and who is
apt to have several more but whose
record, has not been bad enough to
cause the Commissioner to revoke
his driving license. The one extreme
the man who has clear record
need hardly be feared. The other
extreme-the man with an extremely
dangerous record-has ALREADY been
put off the road.
No automobile owner in Connecti-
cut will be forced Into financial
qualification so long as his record
remains clean. If he has a serious
accident he will be forced to qualify
himself by insurance or bond. If his
record becomes such that insurance
and bonding companies consider him
an undesirable risk he will have to
put up his own cash or collateral If
he lacks this, he will have to get off
the road.
The distinction between compul-
cory insurance and Connecticut's
new financial responsibility act is ex-
planned by Commissioner Stocked as
follows: "All other financial respon-
sibility propositions have had the
fundamental objection that each of
them applied to all persons alike, to
rich and to poor, to good and to bad.
The Connecticut law only applies to
; 'repeaters'."
In further distinction to compul-
| sorry insurance, the new Connecticut
! law provides four methods of posting
financial guarantees, three of which
! are other than insurance. Two of
these-the depositing of money or
| collateral touch the motorists
| pocket-book rather substantially.
Some people may feel that it is un-
! just discrimination to prohibit any
person from owning and operating
an automobile. Certain people are
deprived of their liberty and placed
in jails, prisons and asylums because
| their acts have made them a menace
| to their fellows. No state Is under
an obligation to allow unfit persons
to own and run automobiles any
| more than it is obliged to allow MUIR
derers, thieves, criminals in general
and insane people to roam at large.
Connecticut's pioneer effort to
| solve the hazard of financial ire
sponsibility promises several inter-
eSting results.
Foremost will be that of provid-
ing the public with financial guaran-
tees against the most dangerous
| type of motorist-the person whose
record shows one or more serious
violations of the motor vehicle law.
One aspect of thu result will be to
increase greatly the percentage of
Connecticut motorists who are finan-
cially responsible.
Another effect of the law will be
to gradually eliminate from the Con-
necticut highways those persons who
seem bound to have accidents-"re-
| peaters"-thus tending to induce the
number of automobile accidents in
the State.
AS a result of the new law, Con-
necticut motorists will probably give
more careful thought as to whom
they loan their cars, for however
brief a period. Hereafter, the regis
trant will be held accountable for
; damage done by his car-even
! though he personally be far from the
, scene Of the accident. In the future
it will probably not be so easy for
people to borrow a friends car for
! an evening, or a weekend in Con-
! necticut. Few motorists will care to
run the chances of being asked to
, post financial guarantees with the
Motor Vehicle Commissioner because
of the carelessnesS of a friend who
borrowed their car.
The Connecticut financial respon-
sibility act in combining its applica-
ton to those who violate the motor
vehicle laws rather than applying
| to the careful and the reckless alike,
! avoids the basic objections of COM
! pulSory insurance II is possible ftat
| this solution Of the financial ire
| sponsibility problem will commend It
| self to other states. If it does, its
| adoption by certain states would
necessitate a sweeping change In
| their automobile laws. Certain states
at present do not compel operators
to secure licenses: they do not re-
| quire a reporting of automobile acci-
dents: they have no system OF keep
! ing the driving records of motorists;
nor do they have a State Police to
/ work with the Motor Vehicle depart
ment in the enforcement of automo-
I bile laws-all Of which Connecticut
has. Those states which follow Con-
necticut's lead will find it necessary
| to amend their motor vehicle laws In
| these respects.
Interesting innovations in methods
| of selling automobile insurance may
also come about. The insurance
I companies are consulting the 10000
records of the Motor Vehicle depart
ment to determine the desirability
| of applicants for automobile insur-
ance. In the near future, 1t Is pos
| sible that before a Connecticut mo-
/ torist can secure liability or property
! damage insurance his official motor
! ing record will be scrutiniZed by the
companies. This plan would mark a
departure in the present methods OF
accepting automobile liability insur-
ance business.
| Another innovation may also be in
| the offing. Having examined an ap-
plicant's driving record before issu-
! Ing a policy, it would be a logical
| step to adopt the principle of grading
the premiums, thus making the per-
son with a bad driving record