Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-19

CIuQeS, Tor instance, record OF
, the accidents reported involving
, every motor vehicle in the state
classified by cities and towns, thus
giving the actual experience dur
) ing the year 1927 of every munic-
ipality in Massachusetts, This re-
lateS to the experience of the cars
and owners. wherever the acct
dents may have happened. Fur
thermore. there has been assem-
bled the experience during the
year of every type of passenger
and commercial motor vehicle
motor cycle, tractor, bus and pub
lie vehicle. There Is also in detail
the experience of every insurance
company doing business in the
State. All this great quantity CT
material has been tabulated Ill
minute detail. so that there is
practically no question about
compulsory insurance which can
not be fully answered.
Basis of Findings.
The analysis of this material
is going on to secure the definite
data upon which Commissioner
Monk will base his findings. His
first task is to work out the pure
premiums. which is virtually the
cost to the insurance companies.
/ Then he has to decide upon the
factor of expense. Another i'm
portant question that he will have
| to consider is the zones. At pres
ent there are three claSSiflcatlons
of passenger cars supposed to re-
fleet the hazard as determined by
such factors as list price. size.
power and controllability There
| are also three zones in the State,
] the first being Boston and the
cities and towns Immediately sur
rounding this city. the second be-
ing largely cities and towns NOT
| far from Boston and the other
large cities and their suburbs, and
third, the rural sections of the
State. Commissioner Monk is
studying these zones. or terrific
ries, in the light of what the eX-
perience of 1927 shows. and will
make changes in the arbitrary d.
vision of the State, providing such
changes seem necessary and de-
sirable
The insurance companies have
submitted full reports OF the eX-
uenSes incurred in carrying on the
business of compulsory automo-
bile insurance. and upon this data
will be based such revision as the
commissioner NAV find desirable
in the matter of allowance for ex-
pense and profit.
Record for 1927 Complete.
The insurance data covers the
experience of what is termed
470.928.5 earned car years. In
other words, the experience of all
the cars in the State has been re-
duced to full years, although some
cars were insured for only parts
of 1927. Similarly, the experience
as TO commercial motor vehicles
covers 55,654.3 commercial earned
car years. Thus there is at hand
a complete record of what the au-
tomobiles in Massachusetts did in
1927 in so far as it has any bear
ing upon personal liability insur-
ance. Although there are, of
course, many accident cases aris-
ing in 1927 which have not beer
settled, and. which may not get
out of the courts for several years,
the data is believed to be suffi-
GENTLY complete to give, for the
first time, an actual picture of the
working of compulsory automo-
bile insurance.
In addition to the details bear
ing upon rates, the Auto Rating
Bureau has collected an immense
amount of information dealing
with the causes of accidents, the
conditions surrounding them ana
other details. This also Is being
tabulated, and will be turned over
to expert statisticians for analysis
From the results of such study it
is expected that a great amount
of valuable information concern
ing the causes of accidents will
be obtained, and it is likely that it
will throw useful light upon the
problem of accident prevention
The insurance companies report
on every accident which comes to
their attention in the form of a
claim, and the details of each
case are combined into the tabu-
lationS. This work has not yet
progressed to the point where it
is possible TO make general deduc-
tions, but when it is the results
will undoubtedly have worldwide
Importance and may have an eff
feet upon the whole trend OF
highway safety legislation. 1t Is
believed to be the first complete
study ever undertaken in any,
thing like as great detail.
Great Interest Manifest.
THE PRONUNCIATION of the new
rates, which Commissioner Monk
will make on or before September
/, is being awaited with great in
terest, not only by the motoring
public of Massachusetts and by
all the insurance companies do
| ing business here, but by motor
lists. insurance officials, legislators,
highway safety workers and au-
tomobile manufacturers every
where. Since Massachusetts,
adopted compulsory automobile
insurance 1t has been advocated
in practically every other State
/ in the Union, and also in many
foreign countries. Places as far
| away as New Zealand have made
! INQUIRIES. In most of the States
definite action has been post
poned until something more was
known about the working Of the
law in Massachusetts,. The rates
and changes to be made this year
by Commissioner Monk will, IN