Posted On: March 20, 2006, 7:15 pm CST

Posted By: Why do we all pay?

No one said, deny coverage. This is merely a law that ALLOWS a company to put a clause in their policy saying "look, if you don't even bother to lock your car, we'll cover you, but your deductible is higher." This doesn't mean that you can't buy a policy without this clause, it means that for most folks, they can go with a company that will have somewhat lower claims costs and for the person who refuses to lock their car, we don't ALL have to pay for that moron.

I can't tell you how many people I run into, on a regular basis, who simply refuse to lock their cars or take their keys. Did you know that in some places (like Colorado) it's ILLEGAL to leave your keys in your car? In Rhode Island, car theft was so rampant that insurance companies are required, by law, to obtain a VIN inspection prior to providing physical damage coverage on a car. And it has to be by an official state certified inspector, complete with a photo of the VIN data sticker! Don't get your VIN inspected? Your comp/collision is removed, by law. They cut their auto theft rates dramatically after they did this.

For the person who says, "Hey, I can leave my keys in my car, no one will steal MY car...." fine.. go ahead. Then you shouldn't have to worry about that higher deductible, since no one will ever steal YOUR car! In the mean time, my rates are being driven up by your ill informed decision to make your car "theft bait".