The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1927-03-18
Small Car Owners
Hit By Auto Bill
Compulsory Insurance Would
Add Heavy Burden To An
nual Expense Of Mary
land Farmers y


erty damage and personal liability in.
surance in entirely unnecessary ex-
tent, and at possible material ad-
vance in rates, if any of the proposed
compulsory insurance bills now pend
| ing in the Maryland General Assem-
bly, are enacted into law. The coun-
ties of the state will be forced to bear
the greatest, burden, as car owners
will pay an increased rate, as shown
by experience elsewhere under such
law, and will be forced to carry an
additional line of insurance, at ap-
preciable cost, beyond that which has
been felt as necessary in the past,
and which farming district and small
or town statistics of accidents prove
90 be unjustifiable.
! Whatever the need of enforced au-
tomobile insurance in such large
city as Baltimore, with its density Of
traffic and thousands of automobile
accidents annually, there can be NO
excuse for loading large additional
annual outlay for insurance costs ON
| the farmers of Maryland, or those
who live in the smaller towns and
cities Of the commonwealth. The way
to stop this damaging legislation is
to file, at once, written protest with
representatives in the Legislature
against any compulsory automobile in
surance bill. Action should be taken
Immediately to prove the opposition
of the people to this move to force
them to buy more insurance, and in
surance of an unnecessary character
if the scheme is to be defeated.
In Massachusetts the insurance
companies are being forced to cover
the irresponsible driver, at an addi
tional cost to public safety, and at
the expense of driving up rates, so
that the dweller in the counties of
the state, while his hazards are great
ly less, pays proportionately higher
for his insurance than does the city
resident This is especially true as
the greatest increase in insurance
cost comes to the owners of the less
expensive cars. And the most strik-
ing effect is that the careless driver,
insured against the judgment of In
surance companies, who now refuse
to cover such risks, becomes all the
more reckless az driver because he
feels that he has protection"
Study for moment the effect of
compulsory automobile insurance in
Massachusetts,, where property dam
age as proposed in the several Mary
land bills is not now included The
Massachusetts bill provides for liabil.
ity only; $4,000 single and $4,000
double. Prior to the Massachusetts,
Act, Fords, Dodges and Chevrolets and
four-cylinder Bucks, carried a rural
rate Of $14; subsequent to the act the
statutory coverage alone cost SIS, and
extra-territorial coverage (Which
means coverage outside the state of
Massachusetts, and coverage within
the state but off the public highways
of the state) costs 50 additional, an
increase of 81 or more than rs per
cent over the rate before the com.
pulsory law. For six-cylinder Bucks
the rural rate was $1S prior to the
Act, and is now $40. plus 50 or $22,
an Increase of 20 per cent. On Pack
ards the increase is the difference BE-
tween $22 and s27, or slightly under
20 PEI cent
He he owners of less expensive
cars - he highest percentage of the
incre So. Maryland rates on the cars
ment---ed are the same as Massa-
chuselts rates prior to the Act, 30
that it is reasonable to suppose that
the increase in cost to car owners for
insurance would be about the same.
AS the Maryland bills go farther
than that of Massachusetts,, and re-
quire the carrying of property damage
insurance, the effect on the farmers
OF Maryland may well be asked. The
bill would require thousands to carry
such insurance where it is now not
carried, because its need is not ap-
parent Take Ford for instance, as
operated in farm section. The pres.
ent rate for property damage insur-
ance on such car is So per year,
which would at once be forced on car
owners in addition to liability cover
age But twenty-five per cent in.
crease in rates generally would prob
ably bring this item up to $40. The
above facts will mean that a Ford
owner will pay $2S year for his in.
surance under compulsory bill, as
against present cost of $22, if he
carries both property damage and
liability coverage, and against a pres.
ent cost of $14, if under his present
plan of operation he carries only
liability insurance. AS a matter of
fact there are thousands of car own.
ers in the counties of Maryland who
carry no insurance at all, because
they believe it to be unnecessary, so
that compulsory bill would estab-
fish complete new annual tax on O
large number of car owners.
Maryland car owners who live ON