In my “History of American Transportation” class this spring at Emory University's Osher Institute—subtitled “From Clipper Ships to Rocket Ships”—all of the history of transportation can be summed up in five or six words: geology, westward, faster, money, and politics.
Geology controls ocean currents, fertile river valleys that made easy construction of canals and railways and, later, mountain passes in the West; canal barges were faster than wagons, and railroads faster than canals, etc. Many of these same principles apply to insurance claims as well.
If all a visitor to the U.S. ever saw was our network television, then he or she would think that our whole nation was nothing but car wrecks and plaintiff lawyers. Auto insurance is promoted like Kewpie dolls at the county fair: “Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Step right up, and get yer cheap auto insurance now!” Are we to assume that auto insurance is going to disappear or something?
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