Insurers Reluctant to Insure Dangerous Dog Breeds
Assessing Risk the Old Fashion WaySpringfield, IL - The trend of insurance companies refusing to offer homeowner policies to owners of "at risk" breeds is occurring nationwide. There is a simple reason for this. Providers have to pay if the dog injures a person. It's well understood that certain dog breeds inflict more damage when they attack than others. Furthermore, many of these attacks occur in the facial region, which is very costly to repair.
Insurance companies make the logical distinction that pit bulls, rottweilers and several other breeds have a higher risk of inflicting greater damage (not to mention death as documented in fatality studies). It's no different than accessing the injury risk of a motorcyclist vs. a motorist. The former has much higher premiums because when motorcyclists are involved in accidents, they tend to suffer greater injury.
Pit bull and rottweiler advocates say, "Singling out a breed is akin to discrimination."
One has to wonder how much longer the larger public is willing to buy this nonsense. Owners of breeds like beagles need to ask themselves a question: "Should I pay higher premiums because someone down the street chooses to own a pit bull?" By disallowing insurance companies to properly asses risk and place higher premiums into the hands they are due, all dog owners will pay the price.
Labels: Insurance
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