Redlining by Auto Insurers

When I attended college in Philadelphia, I had to commute between two schools twice weekly and wanted to purchase a car. I soon learned, however, that Philadelphia is one of the highest cost cities in the country for auto insurance and that the ZIP code in which I was located was the highest cost in the city. I could not afford the premiums and was forced to forgo an automobile.

The area in which I was located is predominantly black, and the effects of territorial rating were very obvious. I, therefore, concur wholly with Mark Ridley-Thomas and Mary Lee in their criticism of this practice. I must, however, point out that this is only one inequity in the system, and it is not nearly as blatant as others.

If rates are to be based on one’s driving record, number of miles driven annually, and years of driving experience, there is something very wrong with the system. For instance, as a male I statistically have a better chance of having an accident than a female and am charged more based on this fact alone. Also, statistically, as a single person I am more likely to have an accident than a married person, so I pay more here, too. In both cases my rates became higher before I even drove an automobile for the first time. Worse yet, these practices are perfectly legal.

As a white I should not pay less for auto insurance than a black simply because of my race. I also should not pay more simply because of my gender and marital status. Clearly much room for improvement exists in this industry.

JEFFREY M. WHITBRED

Hawthorne