The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1932-03-07


crease in auto insurance rates In
Waterbury according to Attorney
j. Warren Epson, speaking to-day
at the March meeting of the wa
tcrbury Bar association at the Ho-
lei Waterbury. Mr. Upson spoke
on the subject, "Why Automobile
Insurance Rates Have Increased In
waterbury"
Stating he secured statistics from
the state motor vehicle depart
lnent for his subject, Attorney Up
son spoke In part as follows:
"Thcre il no set of problems be-
fore the American public and In
particular before the members OF
the American bar of greater Inn
portance than those connected with
the operation or the automobile.
This Is particularly apparent wheE
one considers the figure showing
losses of life from the operation
OF automobiles in the United States
during 1881 when there were 34,.
900 due TO auto accidents. This
Is an increase of $4,000 over the
number in 1920.
During 1881 there were $780,
000 accidents in the United States
resulting either In deaths or in
jury. Injuries or death were In
IuCtpU upon WV pSpPiC w
operations of the automobile In
1891. The costs of accidents in
the United States for that year was
$500, 900, 900. This figure exceeds
the anual cost Of public school
education by $300,000,000.
"From information obtained
from the motor vehicle department
the following figures covering Wa
terbury have been calculated: In
1926 there was one accident for
every SO cars; In 1927 an accident
for one out OF every S.6 cars; In
I92S an accident for one out OF
every 9.S cars; In 1929 an accident
for one out OF every LIS cars regis
tered In Waterbury; In 1880 an ac.
cident for one out of every 1915
/. cars registered In waterbury,; IN
1881 an accident for one out OF
every 2t.1 cars registered In Wa
terbury.
"The records for the entire state
indicate that In 1925 there was an
accident for one out of every 11.3
cars; In 1897 an accident for ono
out Of every 1913 cars; In 1928 an
accident for one out OF every 1l.6
cara; In 1929 an accident for one
out OF every 1875 cars; In 1880 an
accident for one out Of every 17.3
cars.
Bad Traffic Conditions.
"These figures indicate that traf.
fic conditions In Waterbury do not
compare favorably with the state
as O whole, that the accident fire.
quency measured as against the
number OF cars registered In Wa
terbury is greater In Waterbury
than It Is throughout the state.
1T will be remarked that 1t ~
not fair to compare Waterbury
with the state as whole, because
Waterbury IL q donsely populated
area and should not be compared
with areas more sparsely popu-
lated. This Is a fair observation,
and an attempt was made to COM
pare Waterbury with another COM
munity of not dissimilar size
with similar conditions. Water.
bury, In 1926. was credited with
population OF $4,000. In that year
The city In the state the nearest
In size was New Britain, with Ia |
900. a difference of, roughly, 20,-
600. There were several cities IN |
tho state Of O. larger population, |
but on other city Of u population
so nearly the same. In addition,
Hartford New Haven and Bridge.
port, which exceeded Waterbury |
IN size, were located on trunk line
highways, and traffic flowed In and |
through them at q considerably |
higher rate than is the case In Wa
terbury. New Britain, on the other
hand, Is similar to Waterbury In
that although 1t has connecting
highways which make up the
trunk line system, still 1t does not
have the tremendous volume OF
. traffic that comes from being. on
the Post road. Moreover, both
New Britain and Waterbury are
similar in that they are both high
" industralized towns, with n COM
paratively high percentage OF
foreign born residents.
More Accidents Here
A comparison of the figures in
New Britain indicates that the |
number OF accidents per car regis |
tered in New Britain Is less than |
that in Waterbury. In 1926, there |
was one accident for every 81 |
cars registered in New Britain,
compared with one for every SO |
cars registered in Waterbury. THIS |
same ratio obtains throughout a
five-year period, with New Britain
showing a greater Improvement III
traffic conditions than Waterbury. |
one accident for every 1916 ears !
registered within the city, New
Britain had an accident for every |
21S cars registered.
1t is clear, therefore, that the
statistics, IL they are worth any
thing, indicate not only hat traf-
fic conditions are worse in Water
bury than they are in the state as |
a whole. but that they compare
unfavorably with traffic conditions
in New Britain, town similar In
character. 1t would, therefore, be
logically expected that the cost OF
insurance in Waterbury wuold be
higher than elsewhere in the state,
and. in particular, than In New
Britain.
Suspension of Licenses
A comparison of the number of |
suspensions in Waterbury per year
with the number of cars registered |
In Waterbury for the five year |
period ending In 1880 indicates |
that for each year during that
period. the number of licences sus- |
pended per car registered In Wa. |
ferbury was less than the average
for the state. To take typical |
years, In 1927, there was Iicence
suspended for every 36.6 cars regis
tered in Waterbury. whereas for
the entire state, there was a licence
suspended for every 27.i cars
owned throughout the state; in
1880. there was iicence suspend
Al for every 80 cars registered In
Waterbury. whereas there was
1fcenee suspended for every 81
cars ownd throughout the state as
4 whole, These figures would
indicate, as bearing upon the cues.
iiou of the general eompetsnee ana
rSelsfared In Waterbury. that they
nfe 'ssnlfwhat above tho average, |
Il Il obvious, too. that there II 20
esfrelefi0n between the number OF
IiSfnses. suspended In waterbury
ana the number Of accidents ee.
salIns within the I've Usfs s,i.,sl,s srss