Posted On: August 13, 2008, 2:00 pm CDT

Posted By: Anon

Of course there's the possibility higher gas prices may not lower insurance premiums. There's several things to consider here:

People are selling their SUVs for smaller (more fuel efficient cars). As much as I hate SUVs, ignoring the higher roll-over risk, a passenger in an SUV will have less severe injuries than one in a compact. Fewer SUVs could result in more injuries from accidents.

More people are car-pooling putting more people into each event. Where each car in a collision may have had one to two people involved, each now could have three to four people. More people = more injuries = higher costs.

Cyclists: say no more (hey, don't attack me, I'm a bicycle commuter myself but I've seen how most ride and they're just begging for an accident).

Motorcyclists: inexperienced riders on over-powered machines = organ donors.

Older cars: if you're not selling your SUV you're probably going to be keeping your old car a little longer than you used to since it's better than a car payment. Older cars are often less safe without the newest safety technology but there's also the mechanical issues to consider (balding tires, worn brakes and shocks, etc).

Medical costs have also been rising lately which means there's an increased risk of higher claims costs per event. Hey, doctors have to buy gas too you know... so do the lawers (you KNOW a lawer isn't going to struggle to make ends meet).

And if the Chicken Littles out there are right, there's going to be a dozen major hurricanes every year for the next 50 years.