this post was submitted on 06 Oct 2024
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Why are insurance companies the ones making the rational decision about saying it's a dangerous piece of shit and not our transportation regulators? It needs to be banned.
I don't think insurance companies care of the trucks are dangerous per se. They care if they are expensive to repair, or prone to accidents which could attach liability to the policy holder and thereby the insurance company.
I keep telling conservatives this. It makes sense to have some form of suspicion around a message when some corporation has a profit motive behind it. For instance, climate change and companies selling solar panels (although I wish they wouldn't put SO much effort into that faint connection).
However, that also applies for the inverse - that when insurance drops coverage for Florida homes, it's because climate change is real and they know it will hurt their bottom line.
i never understood the suspicion about companies selling solar panels... they're not snake oil, they work exactly as they are advertised. But, they allow people to be self reliant and not forced to rely on large enegry companies. It really shows where the allegiance for "conservatives" lie.
Funny enough, that's exactly what the article says.
The extra danger to pedestrians might also affect the liability calculations.
The weird thing about this claim is that these aren't deal breakers. It's possible to get insurance for exotics like McLaren or Bugatti (although no idea if GEICO does those); it just costs a lot.
I'd really like to hear more about those underwriting standards.
There probably aren't that many people using a Bugatti as a daily driver. For Cybertruck I would think there are many people using it as a daily.
Because automobile regulation in the US is an absolute joke.
Because insurance companies are filled with bean-counters (not intended as an insult, I'm a bean-counter in a different field) who want to come out ahead. That's why the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) exists. You'd think organization that does crash tests and promotes new technology would be a government organization, but nope, it's insurance providers that want to minimize payouts.
because it aligns with their financial incentives.
I don't see anything in the article suggesting it's particularly dangerous, only that it's very expensive to fix, and in a collision will probably cause significant damage to the other vehicle (though that doesn't mean it'll necessarily cause injury).
The US doesn't exactly approve or deny vehicles in general; any vehicle that conforms to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards can be sold, as far as I know. And I don't see any section that covers safety of the other party in a collision, unfortunately. Maybe write your reps and suggest they add one.
Sorry, I'm not getting the distinction here. Isn't a vehicle that conforms to the FMVSS the same as one that is approved?
Or is the check against FMVSS is not done ahead of time, but only later in any lawsuits?
Conforming = here's a guide book. Follow it and we won't bother you unless there's an issue.
Approval = please submit every model/trim you release to our inspection/test facility for approval.
One requires a lot more people going back and forth between the manufacture and government than anyone wants.
They have to pass inspection to be sold initially.
Go try to get insurance for a Lambo or a nice exotic.
Good luck giving that free market talk to the insurance sales guy.