New Britain herald., 1929-08-26


 which makes the records of opera tors a basic factor in determining the cost of financial responsibility bond or insurance. This announce ment is made by Commissioner Rob- bins B. Stoeckel in an article in the department which discusses thee so- called risk rating plan.
 Extremes will be attacked first, he says, and the immediate aim will be to establish experience. All operators will have an equal chance at the start to avoid the extra costs of insurance and responsibility bonds which are among the penalties, un, der the law, for bad driving records Past performance alone will nos affect the rating. However, when anyone comes with the provisions of the law, and rating is necessary, all of the past record, if any will be examined and taken into consid eration."
 The new law is an addition to the old financial responsibility law which has been in effect for several years, the commissioner explains. Ii tablishment of proof of financial re- sponsibility, shall cost more, if the person applying for it is less desir- able than the average. Its final purpose is to insure that the person who has a good record, whose driv- ing has consistently shown all of those points and characteristics which are desirable, shall be giveI a guarantee at less cost than the person whose record demonstrates that he is an undesirable risk.
 Stiff Penalty for Drunken Driving
 Tt is purposed." the article says "to differentiate the degrees Of un. desira bility so that those persons who commit such shameful offenses as operating while under the intlu. ence of liquor, evasion of responsi. bility and reckless driving, will b5 made to suffer financially to a de. 
 to the law provide that the com. missioner shall rate all persons whc come under the financial responsbil- ity law discipline and shall certify these rates to any inquiring guar. antor.
 Three Group Ratings
 "The classification made by tht state consists of three groups, an the law provides accompanying pre- mium fees which must be charged by a guarantor according to thl class in which the person is ratei The state rates the person as a risl and guarantor has to charge tht corresponding permium. persor who has no record is not rated a all. He will be written at the baSl. rate established by underwriters II general or by that company t, which he has applied. But shoul' he have committed reckless drivinj or some other serious offense an, become rated in class A his guar antee will cost 10 per cent nor than the basic rate: for class B 3! per cent more, and in class C. 5l per cent more.
 If the act or omission whicF brings the supervision of the state be trivial the chances are there vii be no rating for a first offense Should person have in his pas record a number of other trivial of lenses, even that would not neces sarily bring him into rating, bu should there be one or more con Vlctlons for shameful offenses O one or more serious accidents h. might be rated forthwith.
 State Will Be Conservative
 The policy is to be as conserva tive as possible and to rate onl, those people in serious classes wh, are absolutely beyond question mem bers of those classes. This policy i one which may change. It is a tria trip to establish experience. Prob ably many well-meaning and 1eserv ing persons will be rated, person whose intentions are the best an, who have been placed in circum stances from which they have no been able to escape. But this plal must be viewed not at all from tn standpoint of the individual. It con cerns the welfare of all. So far a possible, fairness and equity vii control rating. but if the welfare o all seems to demand that a persol be put in a certain class he will b put in.
 There is a provision in the la1 whereby, through good conduct, person may get out of a class int which he has been rated. If a ma, be rated in Class A and is require to pay 10 per cent additional for hi coverage he can by one years per feet performance, during which h has not come up for rating, ge back in the not rated class Thos persons rated in the lower classe will come up class each year, S far as rating is concerned, if thei conduct is good.
 To Penalize Bad Drivers
 "The whole purpose is to make cost money to be irregular in one driving. It gets for the state the ii nancial safety acComplishmen wherein reckless or negligen driver is forced to curb his tenden cies and take care of his conduc or his coverage will cost him s much that it will hurt. In addition it will soon be a fact that those wh write guarantees will not be as com placent as they have been in tn past They will consider application more carefully and when they fin an undesirable risk may decide tha 1t is too undesirable to cover, not withstanding large premiums, an refuse it. This means that the per son refused as risk will have | stop driving. A point may be arriy ed at where g1larantee is chca