The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-01-21
Boosting the Rates

in Waterbury through announced increases in the rates of automobile public liability insurance. Announcement of the revision in the rates was made Monday to take effect the same day. Had there been some prior discussion of the same perhaps the pubic would not have reacted in the fashion that Il apparently has But viewing the matter m an entirely impersonal manner we conclude that we auto drivers have only ourselves to blame Automobile insurance rates are not based on mans ability to pay over period of years. They are fixed by certain factors, which in turn are swayed by intrusion of the human element
 If rates advance or decrease it IS simply because of certain changes in the existing records of the insured motor vehicle own CTS If the number of accidents show rapid increase or if accident damage claims grow companies likewise follow this example and protect themselves if they will continue to render such services as they con tract to do. It. is pretty much cut and dried affair, as far as we can see here have been charges that Waterbury IS picked out for an example by the National Bureau of Casualty and Surety Underwriters, inas- much as it is the only city in the state where rates go SO high this year. It IS further recalled that there was rate advance last year
 If it can be proved that Waterburys rates are unjust as compared to those, for example, in Hartford New Haven or Bridgeport local motorists will be perfect y right in objecting to the increase in pubic liability insurance which in the average type of pleasure automobile amounts to Sl3. However. it is hard to back up any such statement. Even the fact that Waterbury did not have as many accidents last year as Hartford, as substantaed by motor vehicle department records doesn't enable us to Say, There you arc. l told you so. We are 1ctting raw deal from those who set up tts rate schedules" Accidents and fatalities fer any city in the state. whether 1t be Waterbury or Hartford, tell merely the num- Der of accidents and fatalities in that partle- ular district. They do not give an indiea- ton of the number of claims an insurance company may pay. A Waterbury man might have an accident away out in Cali forna If there is claim allowed against him it will be paid. not in California. but in Waterbury However, Waterbury will not se. credit for the accident in the motor vehicle departments records. So it can be seen that, while accidents and fatalities in Waterbury could well show decrease in the past year, yet the number of claims would increase Understanding this, it isn't diff cult to see why rates can rise here. though motor vehicle department figures apparently belle such.
 The figures that count are those that re- veal how much insurance companles are paying annually for their insured in the Wa terbury district. Evidently losses are high in this section, for rates follow losses. AS they rise so do rates: as they drop, so do rates. It would evidently pay every auto driver of us in Waterbury who carries pubic liability insurance 10 make New Year res oluton not merely to drive carefully our selves but to insist that other drivers, whether they be insured or not, do the same Inasmuch as motor accidents have 'n- creased all over the country, it IS not lar to assume that Waterbury is the sole city in the nation to get an increase in insurance rates. It gets the largest in the state, while some districts are fortunate enough to get drop. Maybe next year the case will be reversed It depends to great extent upon the way we drive and upon no other factor.