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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| If You're a Libra, You Probably Suck as a Driver...... |
| 2006-12-14 |
| Yup....I'm a Libra. You've been warned!! As if drivers didn't have enough to worry about when shopping for insurance, a new tongue-in-cheek study suggests predicting good or bad driving habits could be as simple as reading one's horoscope. The study, based on data gathered by Toronto-based InsuranceHotline.com, was supposed to help illustrate the point that insurance companies vary widely in how they determine what premiums to charge. But Web site president Lee Romanov got a shock when she noticed that certain astrological signs seemed to encounter an undue amount of traffic trouble. "I didn't expect anything, but then I saw some signs got an overwhelming amount of tickets and other signs got an overwhelming amount of accidents, while other signs got a combination of both," Romanov said. Libras, who celebrate their birthdays between Sept. 23-Oct. 22 and are supposed to embody balance, turned out to be the worst drivers, Romanov said. "That's the sign with the balance, the scales, and they are always looking for harmony, but at 5 o'clock rush hour there is no balance and harmony," she quipped. "(As a motorist), you have to make snap decisions, and Libras are no good about making snap decisions." Well, yeah, but we are good at picking up hotties in our defensive driving classes... Other signs that appear to struggle on the road include Aquarius and Aries - the sign of the ram. On the other hand, Leos, who are born between July 23-Aug. 22 and are considered generous, motivated people with a desire to excel, seemed to have the least problems behind the wheel, Romanov said. Gemini and Cancer also scored well, she added. Geminis? She obviously never rode with my mother. She may not have been in any accidents, but her driving probably caused a few other people to have them.... Will the insurance industry at large heed Romanov's findings? Not likely, said Dan Danyluk, chief executive of the Insurance Brokers Association of Canada. "I think what you want to do as an underwriter is ensure that you don't make decisions based on coincidences, and you are making them to the greatest degree on statistical reality," Danyluk said. Romanov conceded that she doesn't expect her study to convince the industry to add a whole new bent to the setting of auto insurance rates. But it does illustrate how arbitrary some insurance companies seem to be when setting their rates, she added. "Half the point of the study was to point out that insurance rates are so vastly different between companies (which are) ignoring astrological signs." Umm...maybe because astrology is generally good only for entertainment value, you goofy twit. Now, please 'scuse me, gotta get my car out of the shop.... ;) |
| Posted by:Swamp Blondie |
| #8 Apparently being born precisely one month premature didn't move me out of the Libra driver category... or so the evidence appears to show. So much for being a Virgo. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-12-14 23:46 |
| #7 I resemble this article. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2006-12-14 13:45 |
| #6 It amazes me that in the history of the planet some idiot King or Emporer hasn't tried to forbid births during certain months or create a big push towards births during other months. Herod tried a post natal approach to that issue iirc |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2006-12-14 11:10 |
| #5 It amazes me that in the history of the planet some idiot King or Emporer hasn't tried to forbid births during certain months or create a big push towards births during other months. Maybe that whack-job in Central Asia who's redoing the calanders will try something like this. What would happen if everyone in a nation was a LIbra (beyond the messy highway problems)? |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2006-12-14 10:55 |
| #4 I'm a Libra and consider myself to be an excellent driver. I've been involved in a total of 2 accidents in a total of 31 years behind the wheel, one of which was my fault and one of which wasn't. I've driven from California to Ohio, the East Coast, and through the southwest and deep south more than 5 times making round trips each time. Each round trip totalled more than 2500 miles. I figure I've logged somewhere around a million miles in the 31 years (or so) I've been driving so that averages to 1 accident every 500 thousand miles. I'd say that's a pretty good record overall. Astrology is fortune telling and has about as much worth. |
| Posted by: FOTSGreg 2006-12-14 10:48 |
| #3 Just plain stupid. Astrology, that is. Not drivers. Well ok, them too. |
| Posted by: mojo 2006-12-14 10:12 |
| #2 Other signs that appear to struggle on the road include Aquarius...the water bearer. Known to make frequent and unexpected stops to address chronic bladder conditions. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2006-12-14 09:06 |
| #1 Leos, who are born between July 23-Aug. 22 and are considered generous, motivated people with a desire to excel, seemed to have the least problems behind the wheel, So, I bring this article to My in-sewer-ants company and get, what, a 20% discount? And the "generous" part means I have to hit the tip jar this month. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2006-12-14 07:43 |