LIME: Hybrid Drivers: Smart and Safe
by Lime Planet, New York, New York on 01.10.06
Owners of hybrid cars already get to feel deep personal satisfaction every time they watch other people fill up their gas guzzling SUVs. Starting next month, hybrid drivers will have yet another reason to pat themselves on the back (besides, you know, helping to save the planet): cheaper insurance. An insurance company will begin giving ten percent discounts to hybrid owners next month, based on early indications that the type of people attracted to hybrid cars are also those who qualify for low-risk car insurance.
The insurance provider, St. Paul Travelers, found that hybrid drivers tend to use their cars mainly to commute between home and work, according to a Reuters story. They also tend to be married, in their 40s or 50s, and drive within the speed limit. All these factors are associated with low-risk drivers, who are eligible for discounted insurance.
Fifteen percent of cars on the road in the next 10 years could be hybrids, according to St. Paul Travelers. The company is the first to offer discounted insurance premiums for hybrids. [by Hillary Rosner , Syndicated from the Planet section of LIME ]
I got my car about a year ago, and got in three accidents in my first year of owning it. It's not that I'm an unsafe driver, it's just that people won't use their (*#&$@! mirrors when backing up. Two of these happened in parking lots, and one on the side of a highway of all places as a construction truck backed into me while I was pulled over.
None of this has anything to do with my hybrid car mind you, but it is ironic.
What's that I smell? Green? Greenbacks that is.
I'm glad they decided to do this, but if you notice they've already got a marketing campaign setup for this. I see this as more of a clever sales tactic than a generous reward for 'Huggers, or even safe drivers.
It may be good to support a company who sets such a precedent, but if the rate they quote you ends up still being more than say, Progressive, than maybe go with the better rate, and donate the hundreds you save to a good green cause.
I feel like everyone hates me when I pump gas... :) Actually, I still have sticker shock when I put in 8 gallons. I am proud of my car... and while I am happy to have owned a Prius for over a year now I have to remind myself that ordered the car over 2 years ago.
But I am very happy that people are hopping on board. I just wish people did stuff like this because of other issues then money. I mass market cares more about gas prices then emmisions.
yeah, the camo pants, wife beater, dale-earnhardt's-dead sunglasses and trucker hat reek of "smart."
That's nice and all, though it would be great to see similar incentives for biodiesel users. We pollute less than hybrids, and we have zero connection to imported oil from corrupt regimes (including our own corrupt regime). As it is, we have to go through lengths just to get a car registered in California. Then once we get the car here, there's no special carpool sticker, no special tax rebates on the vehicle, and the mechanic at the dealer looks at us funny and threatens to void our warranties.
How are hybrid drivers "helping to save the planet?"
The operations necessary to harvest all the inputs for those batteries create a tremendous burden, possibly greater than the burden created by those "gas guzzling SUV's."
It's interesting that no one seems to want to write a critical article of Hybrids, and would rather "feel good" than objectively analyze the pros and cons.
"besides, you know, helping to save the planet"
the planet doesn't need saving, it will last quite a while yet, with or without humanity and with or without biodiversity
Tristan,
There are many articles about hybrid car batteries. I'm sure you can find some by yourself, but here is the easiest one to find for me:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/06/should_we_be_wo_1.php