Final

Samuel Khokhlan

Journalism, Mr.Kefor

January 20th

Modern Day Discrimination?

                Driving is one of the most common things we as people do in our everyday lives. Pretty early on we learn to operate on the roads and although most of us are adequate drivers insurance is necessary for all of us. Insurance is expensive: but why in our modern day society, where equality is what everyone is all about are men paying more for insurance from the very beginning? Shouldn’t we all be treated as individuals and not be stereotyped by the labels of society? Insurance companies think not. Are they wrong to think this way, or is it in fact discrimination? That’s exactly what we’re going to explore.

            Stereotypes are one thing but number don’t lie. A National Department of Transportation study entitled "Sex of Drivers Involved in Crashes 2000-2009" found that male drivers were involved in some 18 million more accidents than female drivers during the same time frame. Not only do men get into more car accidents, but men also are more commonly involved in speeding, alcohol and other major accidents, whereas women are more likely to be in a fender bender here and there. The bigger the accident the less insurance companies like you. "Insurance companies see men as a bigger risk, they don’t like that." (Loose 1). Loose is basically saying that if you're male you need to suck it up. Men have been paying higher insurance premiums for the last half a century and that’s how it's going to be.

            "But if a man and a woman living in the same city with the same profile shop for car insurance, the woman would likely receive a lower auto insurance quote."(Roberts-Grey 1). It seems like pretty simple logic right? You drive recklessly and you pay more for insurance. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 70% of the people involved in fatal car crashes in 2009 were men. But this only makes sense, considering that approximately 65% of road drivers are in fact men. More male drivers equals more male car accidents right? If you take all the male and female crashes and compare them to the total amount of crashes on the road you'll see something quite interesting. Male crashes compared to female crashes are at an almost 1:1 ratio. Although, even with this amazing piece of information it does not change the fact that men are still involved in much more reckless driving then women. According to a study by Quality Planning, a San Francisco company that validates policyholder information for auto insurers, male drivers are also cited for reckless driving 3.4 times more than women are. 3.4 times doesn't seem anything like a 1:1 Ratio. If men are that much more reckless I'm surprised insurance companies haven't found a way to get more money out of us!

            According to a Accurate auto investigation annual reporting does not take into account the fact that men drive more miles than women, on average and therefore are "exposed" to traffic situations more often. Why are men being charged so much for insurance then? Well, their younger less experienced male brethren are to blame for that. Males under the age of 25 are seen as "high risk" because of their frequent involvement in car accidents, speeding, and road rage. This statement applies to my life completely. Before even having my license for 6 months I managed to wrap myself around a pole, and take out a mail box. Both on separate occasions and entirely due to speeding. "Men of any age group are far more likely to be driving while intoxicated, to speed, to drive recklessly, and to flout the law. They also tend to drive cars that give them psychological boost to commit these violations more often."(AAI 1).

             Male car choice seems to play a large role in high insurance rates as well. Whereas females are more likely to drive a safe, fuel efficient cars. Men are more likely to drive a racecar type vehicle. I personally can attest to this. Being an owner of a Bmw 335xi I cannot lie when I say that is speed far more now than I did when I drove my vw jetta. Going from 150 bhp (Horsepower) to 306 fuel guzzling horses under the hood of your car not only gives you an ego boost but quite a heavy foot as well. Luckily I am yet to get pulled over, but I find myself driving over 100mph on the highway quite frequently. BAD HABIT. Woman, and mothers in particular drive vehicles for child transportation, (minivans), which gives them a little less of a "rush" compared to what most men drive. When you're moving kids around from one place to another, chances are you're not going to put the family tree on the line for a quick thrill.

            So basically, men pay for more insurance not because they get into more car accidents, speed more, get more citations etc.. Those all apply, but mostly because of the types of car accidents they are getting into. Whereas women are playing bumper cars, men are more inclined to drink a beer or two and wrap themselves around a tree, or maybe a nice aluminum pole. If men got into the same types of accidents as women, their insurance rates wouldn’t be nearly as high. Although, even if men didn't get into as many reckless incidents it doesn’t change the fact that we speed, and overall are less rational on the roads. With all the stated, is it fair? Is it discrimination for men to pay more for auto insurance even though they are statistically "worse" drivers? My personal answer is yes. In a society where everything is about equality and treating people as equals it seems that car insurance companies haven't caught up with the pack. Drivers should be charged based on their driving history not gender. Sure, men may be more likely to speed statistically.. but if a man has no speeding tickets why are you going to charge him more for something he might do? I don’t see people going to jail for maybe in the future committing a felony.  This logic is flawed and is simply a way for big business to get more money out of the common man.

   

CITATIONS

Loose, Terence. "Auto Insurance Article." Yahoo! Auto Insurance. Yahoo, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.

"Are Car Insurers Unfair to Men?" MSNMoney. Msn, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.

"Get Your Quote." Accurate Auto Insurance RSS. Accurate Auto Insurance, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2014.

My pet peeves

Pet Peeves In (no particular Order)

1.       Closed minded people: Oh you don’t like my techno music? That’s really great. Thanks for sharing that opinion with me. People who declare something is “stupid” or “bad” simply because they do not have the boldness to try new things get on my nerves. I mean I’m happy you enjoy dressing, acting, looking, and listening to all the same things you and everyone else do.. But please, for the sake of my IQ not dropping from your tremendous ignorance, just keep your opinions to yourself.

2.       Lifted Trucks: It’s not so much the trucks themselves rather than the people who drive them. I mean it’s cool that your vehicle can hardly go faster than 90 mph.. but please stay out of the left lane where me and all the other individuals who drive normally and don’t hog the road go. Its awesome that you spent 3k on a lift kit that raises your truck almost as high as your ego but your probably not going to convince me that getting 6mpg is a good choice for me.

3.       People besides me who tweet too much: If I go onto your twitter and I see that you posted 12 things within the last 30 minutes then you really need to reevaluate some things in your life. Oh you’re going to chipotle? That’s cool, no one cares. I do NOT need to know every single meticulous detail about your life. Thanks though ill pass. This doesn’t apply to me.

4.       Skinny guys who wear tank tops: Okay this one needs clarification. If you’re going to the gym or beach and decide to wear a sleeveless that’s fine. What gets me is that one guy who posts the instagram selfie captioned “On my Grind” with him flexing his 12 inch cannons in the mirror. You’re trying to get big? That’s great, go for it. But please for god’s sake can you please refrain from making everyone stare at your 125 lb “Swole” body. Thanks spaghetti arms.

5.       Overly sarcastic people: Sarcasm is a very effective tool in dealing with some people. But when im trying to have a conversation with you and you can keep from sarcastically answering a single question is when I get mad.

6.       Attention seekers:  I absolutely despise people who go out of their way to get attention.  Sorry, but I will not like your shirtless instagram photo which is a clear cry for attention that says nothing short of “Hey I’m a d-bag who has low self-esteem, please like this photo so I can feel better about myself.”

7.       Suburban Rednecks: You live in a $250,000 house, drive a Hyundai, and listen to Lil-wayne, and country. Occasionally going mudding and sitting in your friends “sick” lifted truck doesn’t make you a redneck. I’m sure you’ve gone to every country fest you could get to. But living in Massachusetts hardly classifies you as a redneck.

8.       People with clammy hands: WASH YOUR HANDS. I understand that some people have cold and sweaty hands at times. But when it gets to the point where I use the equipment at the gym after you and can still feel the greasy sweat all over the handles… You need to get a grip, literally.. How do you hold thing with such greasy hands!?

9.       Modern Hippies: This one applies mostly to the 14 year old freshman females who I follow on twitter. I absolutely do not care about your opinion on modern topics such as Gay right and Abortion. Please stop retweeting things about marijuana and how we need to treat the world with honor and extreme care. You’re not going to change any ones minds about anything. Chill.

10.    Feminists: I’m really glad you feel strongly about your fellow women and rights. But I am truly shocked that you can legitimately believe that women are completely capable of absolutely anything a man can do. Simple fact, it’s not true. We are genetically different and made for different things. I as a man cannot give someone the same love a child needs that a mother can provide… So please stop trying to argue that a woman can offer the same guidance a man gives to his family/children.