Calif. drivers in crashes may be billed several thousand dollars for cleanup

Source: KPIX-TV

It's tough enough being in a car accident. But if you're at fault, get ready to pay a fee of up to several thousand dollars, for the fire department to clean up the mess. It's just the thing for local cities and counties who are looking for extra ways to bring in money.

"There are several communities all around the Bay Area that are looking at it. I can tell you pretty much that every fire department in the state of California is probably looking at cost recovery as a way to generate some revenue that has been lost," said Kevin Trost, a retired Sacramento Fire Captain. He now works for Fire Recovery USA, a company that helps cities bill drivers, for a fee.

... But the insurance industry is fighting the so-called "Crash Tax."

"We think that cities and counties and other districts that impose these fees on drivers are really on very shaky grounds. We think that a person who has been involved in an accident who is then charged by a municipality is really being victimized twice," said Sam Sorich of the Association of California Insurance Companies. "On one hand he or she finds themselves in an accident, on the other hand they get a bill in the mail for perhaps several thousand dollars requiring them to pay for the city's cost. That's just unfair."

And, Sorich said, don't assume that your insurance policy will reimburse you for the "crash tax," adding even more pain to the accident.

Read more: http://cbs5.com/local/crash.tax.cleanup.2.1504759.html

Why should local taxpayers pay to clean up your mess?

Most crashes are accidental. I'm sure you'd be all for it until you get rear ended and then sent a bill to clean up your tail-light pieces.

If you cause an accident and you are at fault, I have no problem making that person pay for clean up.

If you are rear ended and you are not fault, you would not be billed under this policy.

My son owns a wrecker service and he is responsible for the clean-up.He is required to have broom shovel and oil dry on every wrecker.

That sounds about right to me.

And did you did you drive to work today?

Next question?

Talk on your cell phone, cause an accident, pay the price. Sound unfair to you?

I'm glad you got yours.

FYI, the NSC estimates that only 28% of crashes are caused by cell phone use. Sometimes true accidents do happen, and when they do, they should bankrupt no family. Nor should anyone feel prevented to drive to work or school because they don't have at least $5K in the bank.

That seems like, oh, 28% too many seeing as how talking on your cell phone while driving is ILLFUCKINGLEGAL in California.

So I'll compromise... ONLY 28% of those at fault in accidents should be asked to pay all or part of the money it costs taxpayers. The 28% who talk on their phone and drive. WE can go from there.

I got mine? What the fuck does THAT mean?

Are you willing to screw over 72% of people to get at that 28%?

The rest of it is pretty self-explanatory.

Think about the individual barely scraping by from paycheck to paycheck. They need a car to get to work and now they could possibly be charged thousands of dollars for being involved in an accident. That's absurd and of course it's another attack on the people struggling to survive.

I think that depending on the cause, some people SHOULD be made to pay for the result of some bad act.

Would you feel angry asking someone who rear-ended you without ever touching their brakes because they were dialing or texting and never even saw the red light, much less you sitting at it? I know people who've had that happen to them. More than one.

Do you ever see cars with out of country license plates driving in California? I do. Do those people pay taxes that would go toward funding emergency services? I have no idea. I DO know though, that they didn't pay up to $500 for a CA license plate like I do on four different vehicles.

I mean, I know California sucks money and 500.00 to register a car is plain old stupid (why pay the State to tell you who owns your car when you know who owns it?) but it seems to me you might be happier somewhere else.

Essentially this is a user fee and the response to this would be to boycott the local merchants and make it clear that you are doing so to the mayor and chamber of commerce. The idea will go away pretty quickly if enough folks do so.

"Gee, Mr. Businessman located in Community X.. I just can't take a chance of shopping at your store because of the possibility that I might be involved in a traffic accident en-route and your fire department has imposed a heavy user fee for it's services".

The replies so far are shockingly disturbing. May you never be involved in an "accident," and may your house never catch on fire, either.

Glad to see. And thank you, fellow DUers, for reading this thread. You are all valuable human beings. Please have a civil, respectful, wonderful day and a fantastic weekend. And thank you again for reading Democratic Underground.

I felt like I was at CPAC for a minute there.

Ridiculous policy. Infuriating.

Great, a positive feedback loop. :-(

this is why the insurance industry opposes it.

or visiting those communities.

AAA will need to add a section of communities to avoid when traveling.

DU is jumping the shark more and more every day.

:puke:

it doesn't matter what political party they belong to; authoritarians have been taught well by the wealthy elite to ALWAYS blame the victim first and demand retribution for any accident or misstep.

All you "sounds reasonable" folks are a bunch of libertarians. People should not be bankrupted for a mistake. And many, many people don't have a spare few thousand laying around, nor can they stop using a car unless they want to lose their jobs. Go find another site.

:wtf:

If you are going to make people pay for their accidents, then require that to be covered by your automobile liability insurance. Funny, but I thought that was what our tax money went for.

So if you have to take an ambulance to the hospital they will charge you for that also?

Absolutely insane.

Bill everyone directly for all services rendered. That way we won't have to bother serving the poor, who are best left to die in any case.

Once the FD begins turning a profit, what happens next?

This is most definitely a step down the road of privatization.

Some for and some against... I see the reasoning behind both points of views. I get angry at the thousands of dollars taxpayers shell out for people being stupid. If you make a mistake there are generally consequences and if you can't drive without causing an accident then maybe you shouldn't drive. Nowhere did I read the person that wasn't at fault having to pay.

For the post stating what next... ambulance services... well I don't know where you live, but every time I have ever had to call for an ambulance I had to pay or my insurance company.

Same thing for stupid fishermen getting caught on a sheet of break away ice on the Great Lakes. Someone has to pay to rescue them. They should be charged accordingly.

I frankly can't understand anyone that expects our government and taxes to pay for people not paying attention or being the cause of property damage or clean up a mess they caused.

jmho

You agree to cover the asses of others who you feel may or may not deserve your help so that, at the very least, that protection is available to you should you need it.

This sort of policy will generate zero revenue for municipalities, it is only geared to put tax payer money in the pockets of debt collectors to hound citizens who will not be able to pay.

Just hold those responsible for damage to pay their way or become a better drivers. They are not victims as portrayed in the original posting, they made a mistake and should be held accountable. To say people can't afford it.... then they shouldn't be getting tickets then.... because they would have to pay for them.

I never said this would generate revenue either, I just think it's not a bad idea to make people pay for the damage they cause from irresponsible driving.

I am sorry our State economy is fucked up, but don't take it out on me. :mad: As someone who has had two vehicles totaled after being stolen, I guess I am the "deep pockets" the fire department would go after to get their money. Problem is, I am a working class Californian who can only afford the required minimum insurance -- in both cases I already suffered the finanical loss of my vehicles with no way to replace them. And, on top of it, I might be expected to pay for the clean-up. Thanks a whole lot.

"...I already pay taxes for them to do their job."

This is exactly the point! We are already paying for these services! This is exactly where the 'deficits don't matter' mentality leads to - bankruptcy. Our country is broke & broken. And still, they are going to take it out of the hides of the middle class & poor. :grr:

Interesting that no one ever bothered to ask that fucking asshole Cheney if he conducted his personal finances with the 'deficits don't matter' philosophy.

A couple here in Indiana lost their home due to a fire. (Burnt to the ground.) They thought the fireman who told them "Wait until you see the bill" was just trying to inject a little humor into the situation.

He wasn't kidding. The bill is $28,000.00.

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/22584119/detail.html

No fees. It's a public service. The is the same kind of crap thinking that is squeezing the hell out of the middle class.

in front of me.

Driving 70, there was nothing I could do. I hit it and destroyed both the lawnmower and my car. Luckily, nobody was hurt.

Would I have to pay thousands of dollars for the mess that was caused?

As it were, my insurance took the hit and I was out several hundred dollars plus had to buy another car.

I.e., you'll pay 500 different taxes and fees, each dedicated to performing a single task. The inability of the state government to maintain the general fund budget means that more and more services are simply being pulled from the general fund entirely and funded via alternate fees.

There's a measure that will be on the ballot this fall, for example, that will strip all funding for the state parks from the general budget. Instead, it will impose a mandatory $18 per vehicle annual tax at registration time that will be dedicated exclusively to the parks system. To get people to vote for it, the measure will also dramatically raise gate fees at the parks, but then offer free admission and usage to vehicle owners who had paid the annual fee. Your $18 gets you a year of "free" access to something that was once free anyway, funded out of the general budget.

Look for a lot more of this in the next few years.

Prop 13 gives them a stranglehold on the ability to pass new taxes, and they've all but admitted that they want the state government to self-destruct and are willing to let it go broke to accomplish that. Many of these state parks were on the chopping block to be completely shut down last year, and were only saved by a last minute compromise.

Because of the idiot voters in the "safe" Republican districts, Californian's aren't being given much choice. The Republicans want these services ended completely, and these "fee for use" taxes are the only way to keep them going.

What we really need is to break the prop 13 voting requirement for income tax adjustments, to gut the Republicans ability to destroy these programs. As it is now, the state can't even keep the tax rates in line with inflation, so we fall further behind every year.

I'm sure these ideas will spread around the Nation as the wealth gap continues to grow. :grr:

Taxes should be paying for the fire dept. to do their job...

Should one be taxed twice?

if it becomes regular/official policy to charge the driver at fault with the clean-up cost, insurance companies will be adding it to coverage. they'll have to, because some will at first, and others will have to follow, in the name of remaining competitive. of course it will also mean across-the-board rate increases on policies to pay for the coverage.

The only thing this will do is charge Californians MORE for auto crash cleanup (because there's PLENTY of incentive to overcharge), a service they should be provided by public employees using TAX money. And where will that money go? Into the pockets of the private tax collectors and private cleanup companies (and the lawyers who will see more business because of this high-stakes fault-finding). And you're exactly right that everyone will be paying more because their insurance rates will have to be increased. Some DUers are so damn myopic.

This is fucking insane.

Here's the deal. Get in an accident, your insurance pays the damages. Should subrogation (look it up) determine you're a bit at fault you have to pay. But you don't.

I'm looking forward to the day where some shitwit yammering on and on to some other shitwit on a cell phone causes an accident and every single person that has had their life fucked because of it gets to sue due to delays and inconvenience.

Maybe then, and only then people will shut the FUCK up and just drive.