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Don’t tar all drivers with the same brush

0 Comments | Citizen Gloucestershire, The, Jun 2, 2010

FURTHER to my letter of May 28 regarding the piece written and published on May 22 by “Professional Motorist” about elderly drivers.

I now refer to the report about Craig Allden, aged 19, and his most interesting concerns about not only the costs of motoring, but his attempts to find affordable car insurance (Citizen, May 31, page 16).

First, I have to state that I am somewhat surprised at the figures quoted.

What does not surprise me, however, are the higher insurance premiums.

Frankly, this says it all and certainly supports my published contention regarding “Professional Motorist’s” comments of May 22 regarding elderly drivers.

Apart from the very high costs of insurance for young people, I note in the article the accident statistical figures of 10 in 1,000 for 17 to 24-year-olds compared with three per 1,000 amongst 60- year-olds. What these published occurrence figures do not show however, particularly amongst the younger set, is the seriousness of the accidents and the incidence of death resulting from them.

That is, apparently, far higher for people aged under 30.

The advice in the article offered to “young (male) drivers” from the various sources is abundantly sound.

Here is a further comparison. The car insurance figures quoted in the article for young males just for third party cover varied from Pounds 6,624 and Pounds 5,181 and for females Pounds 4,155 and a would-be Pounds 2,135 against my annual premium for comprehensive insurance of Pounds 439.

This includes some extras I have chosen to add on otherwise it would be Pounds 339. (Through the AA it would be under Pounds 300).

So, in my view, this says it all in respect of elderly drivers and once again gives the lie to your correspondent “Professional Motorist”!

As Mr Allden states: “Lads are seen as risky drivers but not everyone is like that.” This infers, as I stated in my original letter, that it is foolish to tar everyone with the same brush.

Lee Prescott Stonehouse

AFP, June, 2010

LOS ANGELES (AFP) An American man detained in Pakistan for trying to track down and kill Osama Bin Laden has been freed and will return to the United States later Wednesday, his family told local media.

Colorado-based construction worker Gary Faulkner was released by authorities in Pakistan late Tuesday before flying home to the United States via Dubai, a relative told ABC7 News in Denver.

“They got the news late yesterday that he was coming in. So, they’re really looking forward to seeing Gary. It’s been a while,” Faulkner’s brother-in-law John Martin was quoted as saying on the network’s website.

Faulkner was detained on June 13 in the remote mountains of Chitral, once a rumored hiding place of bin Laden, near Afghanistan’s Nuristan province, armed with a…

RECALL MADNESS RISE IN FAILING PRODUCTS RESULT OF OUTSOURCING

0 Comments | Daily News; Los Angeles, Calif., Sep 6, 2007 | by SUSAN ABRAM

Amid a flurry of recalls this summer — and as Mattel braces for yet a third toy recall this week — a Daily News review of data shows that the number of recalls nationwide has soared more than 50 percent in just the past six years.

Last year, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported 467 recalls of everything from hammocks and treadmills to coffee makers and laptop-computer batteries.

So far this year, there already have been 409 recalls of everything from sippy cups and bibs to crib bumpers and pacifiers. And that doesn’t include Mattel’s recall of eight play sets sold under the Barbie brand and three Fisher-Price toys, all of which were found to have high levels of lead.

The growing number of recalls — up from just 309 in 2000 — highlight what some say has been percolating for years: an increase in manufacturing outsourcing and consumer demand for cheaper products that is threatening to collapse product quality and safety.

“A lot of companies are outsourcing to China and, on top of that, it’s impossible for them to oversee the nitty-gritty details of production,” said Christopher Tang, professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management.

U.S. corporate outsourcing to other countries has grown by 70 percent over the past 10 years, Tang said. Nearly $1.9 trillion was spent on imported goods last year, up from $1.5 trillion in 2004, according to census data.

“Owners of manufacturers have become more hands-off. They are losing control over the quality,” Tang said. “As the supplier is pressured to lower the cost, something has to give.

“The bottom line is, you get what you pay for.”

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