Car Insurance Cancellations

Re “Bum Deal on Car Insurance,” editorial, Aug. 24: The idea that someone who knows enough about his car to improve its performance is a bigger risk on the road than somebody who only drives a stock automobile is ludicrous. That if you opted for a higher-speed-rated tire or a better shock absorber could be grounds for canceling your auto insurance shows the extremes the insurance industry would go to maximize profits at the expense of the public good, and that includes government officials who are actually owned by the insurance lobby.

The poor guy who fixes up his car or truck to pull a trailer more efficiently up a hill or the person who puts a better set of tires than stock on his car is now lumped together with drunk drivers as a risk-taker; this shows how little reasoning exists in insurance regulation versus ways to dig up more money out of the guys who understand their cars better than the greedy officials who would condone this reasoning.

WILLIAM BENNETT

Ramona

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Re your editorial on how Insurance Commissioner Chuck Quackenbush is proposing regulations to make it easier for insurance companies to cancel auto insurance: He took thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the insurance companies. Is anyone really surprised that he now does their bidding?

ALEX MAGDALENO

Camarillo