Blame fraud for insurance hikes 

Regarding Janice Mundee’s hate for insurance companies (“Support for reform,” Sept. 10), I want to present some facts about insurance rates. She stated that after paying your auto premium every month and then getting in an accident you are "guaranteed" to have your fee go up. If you are not at fault your fee will not go up, and if at fault you will get a principality-at-fault letter of explanation.

Having reviewed more than 2500 vehicle insurance claims during the last 10 years, I can assure Mundee it is insurance fraud that spikes insurance rates. Coincident with the poor economy during recent years the incidence of owner-ignited vehicle fires has dramatically risen. I wish I could publish the fraud cases I review, but those pesky confidentiality rules get in the way. I guarantee that honest people would hardly believe the extremes customers and repair shops go to for money over and above the actual repair cost of the accident. And this is not even considering the phony bodily injury costs that cause all our rates to go up. Data can be found at www.ircweb.org.