Colin Espiner is onto it:
The massive increases in levies for motorcycles seems grossly unfair to me, and smacks of National hitting a group of voters it doesn't think are likely to be National supporters. Sure, motorcycles are involved in more accidents, but how many of those were caused by car drivers?
I'd rather encourage more scooters and bikes onto the road and have fewer metal boxes. It's more fuel efficient and less parking space is required to stable them. More importantly, bike-bike accidents are less mortal than bike-car or car-pedestrian accidents. The more equal the vulnerability, the more respect you maintain with other road users.
But the proposed ACC charges turn all this on its head. A 3000cc big bastard boy racer car will cost only twice the fee of a puny 49cc roller skate. This is scapegoating pure and simple. The Nats deserve all the heat they're getting on the ACC mess.
3 comments:
If I hit a Kawasaki 250 with my gas-guzzling Hyundai Sonata, which one of us do you think will be costing ACC more?
This is nothing to do with global warming, traffic congestion or the ratio of cars to motorbikes. It is about accident insurance cost. And every other accident insurance in the world charges motorcyclists a great deal more than auto drivers.
FWIW, though, modified cars (i.e. boy racers) should be charged at least $5000 a year...
I didn't mean to push to environmental issues as a main reason. I went off message a bit there.
But it remains that a Merc ploughing through a bunch of cyclists will exit largely unscathed. It doesn't follow that because the car driver has lower ACC bills, they are any less responsible.
Down in Wellington on Thursday, some chick lost control of her car and ploughed into a building forecourt. She'd have done less damage, and would probably have been more mindful of her surroundings, if she had ridden a scooter.
You don't see many motorcyclists texting while riding either.
Now you are talking about responsibility, Will. Unfortunately, in a no-fault system, responsibility is irrelevant. Your careless driver is charged no more by ACC than your careful one, because ACC does not collect fault statistics, unlike a normal insurance company, because it does not attribute blame.
Motorcyclists may be safer, but they still cost ACC way more than motorist.
P.S. I think you will find the building that your lady trashed will be paid for by her motor insurance, not ACC. Assuming she has any. Assuming she wasn't drunk or high. Assuming her car has a current WOF. Assuming she has a driving license.
Ah, the joys of real insurance coverage...
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