This is an interesting story as it highlights one of the fundamental problems with our government. A complete lack of understanding of how businesses operate. There is a bill being presented by Delegate Ralph Rodighiero, D-Logan to regulate deductibles in deer losses to a maximum of $200. So, in plain English, you get hit by a deer, the most you can pay out of pocket is $200. The rest is up to the insurance companies...which is to say that your fellow policyholders will see increased premium to offset the additional cost of this new deductible.
Let's set a few things straight...
1) There is no such thing as "deer coverage". Deer damage is covered by comprehensive coverage. Comprehensive coverage covers damages to your vehicle through losses Other than collision, such as damage by fire, theft, falling objects, storms, collision with birds or animals, and glass breakage. Basically, you didn't do anything wrong as a driver, but your car is damaged and the insurance company needs to fix it. The article does not indicate whether or not ALL comprehensive losses would see a cap on the deductible, or if we are expecting insurance companies to create a new "deer" coverage that will be used to cover just this specific peril.
2) Rodighiero is cited as acknowledging that he won't endear himself to insurance companies with this proposal and states “I’m not here for the insurance companies or the big-dollar people,” he said.“I’m here for the common problems we have as West Virginians. I’ve dedicated myself to doing that and that’s what I’m going to continue to do.”
A noble point, but as an insurance agent, I get paid on a percentage basis. So if you raise everyone's rates across the board, I have not lost my competitive edge, but my income is going to go up. I am not objecting to this because it would cost me money, it would be financially beneficial to my agency, but it is not the place of the government. IF Mr Rodighiero feels bad about deer accidents he should be suggesting a deer control plan, or a government program to re-imburse drivers for deductibles paid for deer losses out of state funds. Afterall, the state is unwilling to control the deer problem in part because it is a way to bring hunters and their money from other states each year. Raise the hunting license cost a couple hundred dollars to offset the reimbursement program, so that all the non-hunters don't pay for the surge in deer each year.
3) The REAL problem is not the deductible, it's not the insurance rate, it's the fact that your constituents, like many Americans, bought a car they can't afford. We see this all the time. The fact of the matter is that this is an optional coverage, you don't have to buy it in order to own or buy a car. You don't even have to fix your car in a deer collision. Granted your car will look bad and/or may not function, but you could just park it. Unless of course your bank requires it as a condition for your car loan. Unfortunately, we see this everyday. Too many people are stuck with car loans that they can't afford because they did not account for the other costs of a car; such as gas, oil, maintenance, insurance, fuzzy dice, etc and the inevitable increase in these costs over the seven years that they financed their car.
My solution when this problem hit me was simple...I sold my expensive cars and bought less expensive, less shiny cars that were well within my budget. I know it isn't always easy, it took us almost a year to get to where we could afford to pay off the loan on one of our cars in order to trade down, but it eventually worked and we now have a firm policy of staying off of the car lots. It is about personal accountability. The car you buy, the amount you pay, who you buy insurance from, which coverages/deductibles you carry... all of these decisions are made by the individual. I don't want to pay for a $200 deductible, I chose a $500 deductible, a law like this would take away my ability to choose and force me to pay more for a lower deductible. Thanks Charleston, but if it is OK I would like to make a few decisions on my own.
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