On Wed, 3 Feb 2016 11:49:54 -0600, philo wrote:

On 02/03/2016 11:34 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:


Last November my agent called to tell me that Travelers was going to move
me to their tier system. They increased the amount of coverage for certain
items while reducing my rate by ~40%. The monthly reduction basically covers
the loan payment on the used car we just bought for my oldest daughter.

Sweet!




One reason my car insurance is low is because I have no moving
violations. Got a speeding ticket a few years back and I was so polite
to the small-town policeman he told me to take it to court and "they'd
do something to help me out."

It was a $90 ticket and I said, that would not be necessary, but he
really urged me to take it to court.


Then I realized that for insurance purposes I did not want that on my
record, my rates would probably go up...so I went to court and before I
could say anything, the magistrate asked me if I'd like it changed to a
non-moving violation with the same fine...so my insurance rates would
not go up.

That was easy.

After I got home I pulled the paid ticket out of my pocket to see what
they got me for. Yikes: Vandalizing a street sign! So now I am a
hardened criminal but one not paying much for car insurance at least.
A bit like my experience, but in reverse (sorta).
I was driving a 1949 VW bug in Livingston Zambia back in about '73 or
'74. The muffler had deteriorated to the point there was virtually
nothing left, and it was NOISY - but no new parts were available. I
got pulled over and charged with driving with a defective muffler. The
fine was rediculous - something like Kw75 - and a Kwatch back then was
about $1.65.

I went down to the "boma" to look after the fine and asked to see the
schedule of fines/offences and noticed "no muffler installed" was only
Kw15, so I told the clerk they had charged me with the wrong offense,
as there was no muffler on my car. They went out and looked - and not
being able to find any sign of a muffler, reluctantly took my Kw15 and
reminded me I needed to get the muffler replaced - so I headed back to
the shop at the school and made one from an old driveshaft, a
landrover gas filler pipe and some plumbing fittings.