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Liz Lucas Country Feedback |
It's one of the greatest moments of your life: You've finally got your own car. The one drawback, of course, is having to pay for insurance. But suppose there was a plan that let you save about $100 in insurance costs, simply by not buying one premium?
This might sound like a brilliant innovation. Indeed, Gov. John Engler is betting that you'll appreciate it. But before Michigan drivers wholeheartedly endorse this idea, they should take a closer look at his plan.
Michigan drivers are currently required to buy liability coverage as part of their insurance plans. In other words, if you cause a car accident, the injured driver can sue you for pain and suffering damages, seeking repayment for his or her injuries.
Under Engler's plan, drivers wouldn't be required to buy this coverage. And it's pretty unlikely that they would voluntarily pay an extra $100 in insurance costs.
But what happens if they cause a car accident, you ask?
Well, there's a simple solution: The injured driver would be legally barred from suing the driver at fault.
So let's bring this to a more personal level. Let's say you're injured in a car accident and, quite justly, you want to sue the driver who caused the accident. After all, the right to seek justice in the court system is one of the foundations of a free and democratic society.
But, unfortunately, you live in Michigan. And your right to seek justice has been curtailed.
That's not scary enough for you? Imagine you were critically injured in this accident, leaving you unable to work. How are you going to pay your hospital bills, let alone obtain any money to support yourself for the next 50 years of your life?
In the old days, you could have sued for pain and suffering damages, leaving you in somewhat better financial shape. Now, well, you're out of luck.
With consequences like these, we're forced to wonder why this plan is even being proposed. And that, too, has a simple answer. Who pays for pain and suffering damages? Insurance companies. Do you think they enjoy paying out large sums of money? Hell no. Do they care about the people who need this money? Well ... that's the question.
The insurance companies' official rationale for this plan is that it will reduce the number of lawsuits, and then they'll be able to reduce insurance premium costs. Is there any guarantee they'll do this? Take a wild guess.
Fortunately, this idea is still in the planning stages. If it receives enough criticism from Michigan drivers - and voters - it might never happen.
So why not make your views known? You can reach Engler at P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, MI 48909 or over e-mail at migov@mail.state.mi.us.
Ann Arbor's state representatives, Liz Brater (D) and Mary Schroer (D), can be reached at lbrater@house.state.mi.us and mschroe@house.state.mi.us, respectively. Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith (D-Salem), can be reached at SenASmith@senate.state.mi.us.
This is a battle between corporate interests and the common individual. And if the corporations win, we'll all be worse off. So speak up. Fight the Man. This time, he's going too far.
- Liz Lucas is busy picketing the capital building in Lansing, but you can still e-mail her at erelucas@umich.edu.