Who taught YOU to drive? Breaking a few of New Hampshire's rules
It’s sort of amazing that New Hampshire doesn’t require adults to wear seat belts, given the overwhelming data on how they reduce injuries and fatalities. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seat belts reduce the risk of death in a car accident by 45 percent, and the risk of serious injury by 50 percent, for those sitting up front.
Want to know what else is amazing? Even without a seat belt law, New Hampshire drivers are buckling up at a higher rate than Massachusetts residents.
New Hampshire had ranked last in the country in seat belt use in 2010, with 72.2 percent of people buckling up, according to federal statistics. But Massachusetts wasn’t much better, with just 73.7 percent of people wearing belts.
When the federal agency releases its figures for last year, however, New Hampshire’s new rate will be 75 percent, said Peter Thomson, longtime coordinator of the New Hampshire Highway Safety Agency. With the Bay State’s figure dropping slightly last year to 73.2 percent, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, it means New Hampshire has leapfrogged past us.
Nearly everybody’s car makes those persistent beeping reminders to buckle up, so it must be more than that.
How did this happen?
“We’re doing it even without the law,’’ Thomson said. “We at the agency, and a lot of other groups tied in with us, do a lot of educational work. We start with programs way back in the first grade. It’s really caught on.’’
Our northern neighbors certainly take great pride in their state motto, “Live Free or Die.’’ It’s printed on every automobile registration plate, and permeates the state’s driving rules: Motorcycle riders don’t need helmets; auto insurance is optional; no one pays a motor vehicle excise tax bill.
But upon closer inspection, Massachusetts and New Hampshire drivers are a lot more alike than you’d think. Seat belt use is Exhibit A, but did you also know that at least 90 percent of New Hampshire drivers carry car insurance, just like we do? Or that New Hampshire drivers pay almost as much to register their cars as we pay in excise taxes? Or that New Hampshire’s no-texting-while-driving law is more than five years older than ours?
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But upon closer inspection, Massachusetts and New Hampshire drivers are a lot more alike than you'd think. Seat belt use is Exhibit A, but did you also know that at least 90 percent of New Hampshire drivers carry car insurance, just like we do?
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The cost of auto insurance for Massachusetts drivers has improved in recent years. According to a 2010 auto insurance industry report, insurance premiums in Massachusetts are close to 30 percent less than the national average.
This is a significant change from a few years ago. Previously, Massachusetts ranked fourth as the most expensive for state auto insurance . Even with the decrease in annual premium costs, Massachusetts drivers want to get the best, affordable car insurance policy .
Obtaining Information about Licensed Insurance CompaniesThe Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation is a valuable resource for drivers in Massachusetts. This state agency is a consumer information repository regarding licensed businesses within the state. You can verify whether an insurance company is licensed to sell and write auto insurance policies.
Knowing which companies are licensed in Massachusetts can help you when comparing auto insurance quotes on comparison websites and other resources. You can also determine the auto insurance requirements in Massachusetts and make an informed decision based on what each company offers.
Auto Insurance Policy Distinctions in MassachusettsThe no fault policy requirement is one of the reasons Massachusetts residents pay a lower auto insurance premium. With a no fault insurance system, limits are set on how much one driver can sue another for damages after an auto accident.
Insurance companies pay the cost of damages up to the policy limits, regardless to who caused the accident. In most cases, this type of policy can protect drivers from personal losses in a lawsuit.
The limits of the policy must meet Massachusetts’s minimum requirements.