Quote from Racer X NZ :

the four people you injure get to lie bleeding outside the hospital till you pay cash to get them treated.

Yeah thats exactly how it works... Hospitals treat everybody who comes to the emergency room before even mentioning money. If the uninsured person cannot pay, the health care is the burden of that taxpayer. So you can look up all those irrelevant stats but not something relevant like how our system works?

Quote from ajp71 :

Personally I like the idea of insurance, yes it is expensive but it is a form of people having to take responsibility for their actions. Over here healthcare is free with the exception of road accident victims where the insurer/responsible party is expected to foot the bill. I'm sure a similar system could work in NZ.

NZ is gearing up to make 3rd party a requirement and then the only difference will be the personal injury thing. Having come from the UK I know the system well but actually prefer the NZ one. As with much in NZ all the BS and PC crap is removed and everything is simple.

Not being able to sue for personal injury is actually a GOOD thing btw. It stops the practice that occurs in the US where somebody will cause you to rear end them on purpose so they can sue for whiplash. They then get coached by their no win no fee lawyer on how to talk up injuries so the lawyer can earn more cash etc. The US system is a joke with no accountability that asks to be played and gamed.

If I am uninsuered in the US and hurt people in a crash. They can try and sue me but if I have NO real money they are screwed, injured and no payout. If they don't have suitable medical cover they are really screwed. Nice system.

People in the US appear happy with this system as long as they have the possibility of a big payout from the courts. We have a similar system here but we call it lotto

Strangly enough I found out it is the insurance compaies here that are against forced insurance but govt looks like about to force the issue

Quote from flymike91 :

Yeah thats exactly how it works... Hospitals treat everybody who comes to the emergency room before even mentioning money. If the uninsured person cannot pay, the health care is the burden of that taxpayer. So you can look up all those irrelevant stats but not something relevant like how our system works?

Hmm then why when we needed treatment in the US the FIRST thing asked was about medical cover BEFORE they even took details. Guess thats just how you treat people that visit and do not live in the US

Quote from flymike91 :

I am uninsured in NZ. I cause an accident that leads to the death of four people. Their insurance pays for the car, the gov pays for the deaths, and I go with my buddies to the pub that night.

Is the above untrue? I'm saying there should be punishment for causing an injury crash.

The lack of punishment (accountability) is what I think is causing the young kids in NZ to go out and get in car crashes because they know that there is no consequence for their actions.

Sometimes it makes people feel better to know that the person who killed their family is being punished but in NZ, they are not allowed that satisfaction. Or at least thats the conclusion I come to because instead of contradicting me, you change the subject to say how much worse the US is.

Quote from flymike91 :

Is the above untrue? I'm saying there should be punishment for causing an injury crash.

Causing death by dangerous driving is a custodial offense.

ah well thats all I wanted to know.

My insurance company are really gonna throw the book at me now. Had a crash yesterday with a 53 plate BMW 3 series. My Nova and the BMW are both complete write offs...

Whose fault?

Quote from Jakg :

Whose fault?

Mine...pretty much.

Oh dear mcgas. How did it happen? Being a typical new driver or a genuine accident?

p.s any pics?

Eeppp, good luck getting insurance again

Quote from Nathan_French_14 :

Oh dear mcgas. How did it happen? Being a typical new driver or a genuine accident?

p.s any pics?

Genuine accident I suppose. I came off a roundabout, checked my rear view mirror(Possibly too long), Then had this BMW coming towards me. I must have drifted across the road whist checking my rear view mirror. No pics, Didn't get chance to get any. Was too messed up after the crash.

Quote from danowat :

Eeppp, good luck getting insurance again

My policy can't change this year(Price wise anyway), but next year they are gonna up the price most definitely.

Why can't it change this year?, when you insure a new car, you'll probably have to declare it.

Poor, poor BMW

As I said on MSN, really sorry to hear about your accident. Just be thankful your still alive.

Seem's like a genuine mistake on your behalf.

Anywho, sorry to hear about the accident. Glad your ok.

Quote from The General Lee :

As I said on MSN, really sorry to hear about your accident. Just be thankful your still alive.

Yea, Thanks. Quite surprising really, The passenger of the BMW came off with a broken nose and facial injury's. All I got was a little stiff and a bruised nee.

Ouch, seems like more of an impact than I first assumed. What speeds were both vehicles doing mate?

Quote from The General Lee :

Ouch, seems like more of an impact than I first assumed. What speeds were both vehicles doing mate?

20-30 ish. I had just left a roundabout...

Little image I found today...

[Edit] - Blew the pic up a bit.

Quote from Yoda098 :

Indeed....ah well, Time to find another Nova.

Bad luck. By which I mean that in what the insurance companies must call the lottery that is young drivers and accident statistics, you turned out to be one of the ones that has an accident. There are plenty like you, no doubt your experience has led you to reconsider the questions you ask in post 1. In one sense it's unfair, I hated having to pay massive premiums because a lot of other young male drivers had accidents.

If you never have an accident then you really do feel like you're getting stitched up, but when it comes to crunch, would you insure a fellow young driver for any less than you've been paying? The insurance settlement for your claim alone, after personal injury etc etc, is bound to be well into 5 figures. It will take a few years before you pay that back in premiums, even at the inflated costs you will now be paying.

Sounds like quite a bad crash (surprising to hear the BMW driver suffered some fairly serious injuries, how old was it?). Shame it was your fault too, do you know how much it's going to bump up the cost of your premium yet?

The first car I owned was an X reg Renault Clio. Bought it and got it home at about 5:30 on a Monday night some time late last year. At about 8 am the next morning it was written off about 200 yards away from my front door. Not my fault, the other driver took the blame and she didn't argue about it. I was doing about 20-25mph at the time and she was doing probably 5-10. We hit and I ended up hitting a concrete wall. We were both unharmed but I did lose about 45 minutes of flexi time from work! The insurance for that was around £600 fully comp for the year for a 1.2 Clio. 21 year old male, no no claims discount with my parents on there as named drivers. Replaced the Clio with a 1.1 Peugeot 106 (no laughing there at the back!), insurance was roughly the same. Got rid of the 106 earlier this year for my 04 S40 T5. Insurance is now roughly £1000 fully comp, paying in instalments with Admiral.

I hit and wrote off a BMW 3 series compact on a 53 plate. The passenger came out worse in the BMW because she wasn't wearing a seat belt. I wouldnt say I was a bad driver, it was just a laps of concentration that led to the crash. I only claimed liability to make my life a little easier and not risk losing my licence.

Quote from mcgas001 :

The passenger came out worse in the BMW because she wasn't wearing a seat belt.

I hope you tell your insurance company that, and if they don't believe you all they'll have to do is look at the damage on both cars and the severity of her injuries for something like that.