BRIGHTON,
Grand opening
Tey
Dallas Post/Ed Campbell
. all
os Post/Ed LCartpbel
Dallas Post/Ed Campbell
Moore and Debbie Gallagher.
Effective Oct. 1
Lynnette
Festivities open
with big parade
Festivities celebrating the 60th
anniversary of College Misericordia
began with a parade through Dallas
on Friday evening. Starting at the
Weis Marke. in Dallas, the parade
continued up Lake Street to College
Misericordia where the 60th anni-
versary party officially started.
Shown here in the top left photo is
the Dallas Band as it makes its way
up Route 415 while the Misericordia
Queen, her court and. their escorts
are shown in the top right photo.
The award-winning Lake-Lehman
marching band is seen in the lower
left photo while the. right photo
FS Leet and Lvadia
i dh iidey v delenrate he col
lege’ S anniversary.
Dallas Post/Ed Campbe!
Derby cars
Dallas Post/Ed Campbell
By PAMELA AARON
Staff Correspondent
Pennsylvania motorists will soon
be asked to make choices regarding
their auto insurance coverage. On
Oct. 1, 1984, the Motor Wwehicle
Financial Responsibility Law will
replace the Commonweaith’s No-
Fault Auto Insurance Law. The new
system changes the level of cover-
age that is demanded of each
motorist in that ‘“persenal injury”
insurance ‘is no longer mandatory,
dy)oviding drivers can meet their
kinancial responsibilities should
accident or injury occur. These
stipulations are set out by the Penn-
sylvania Department of Transporta-
tion, and include either regular or
self insurance; in which case forms
will be sent to each driver in order
to ascertain their ability to reim-
burse financially, if involved in an
auto accident.
The new law doesn’t change the
minimum amount of ‘‘liability’’ pro-
tection a policyholder must carry
rather, the coverages that will
change will be those for ‘‘personal
injury’. The requirements for those
persons who wish te purchase insur-
ance to meet the financial responsi-
bility requirements are as fellows:
1. Liability - Drivers must carry
at least $15,000 for injuries to one
person in a single accident and
$30,000 for all people in an accident.
$5,000 must be carried for property
damage.
Insurance companies, however,
will offer up to $100,000 and $300,000
for one person injuries and all
persons, respectively.
2. Medical coverage - Under no-
fault, personal injury coverage paid
for medical bills in total. Under the
new law, persons will be allowed to
select the dollar amount of coverage
to meet their needs. Allowable is as
little as $10,000 coverage. Again,
higher benefits can be had as well.
A person isn’t recuired under the
new law, to buy ies’ come protec-
tion if the person is retired, disabled
or unemployed.
To help those whose bills may
surpass $100,000, the law establishes
a Catastrophic Loss Fund, whereby
the Commonwealth operates it’s
own policy for a fee of $5.00.
Because policy holders have hereto-
fore been entitled to unlimited bene-
fits, they need to assess their needs
carefully under this new law.
If policyholders select the mini-
mum of $10,000 coverage and the
CAT Fund begins paying after
realize a gap of $90,000. Some will
have private medical insurance that
will cover that gap; many will not.
Accidental Death - This is optional
now; whereas a $5,000 minimum
was required by the old law.
Legally Uninsured Victims - the
new law will pay up to $5,000 in
medical expenses, whereas the old
law was unlimited.
The new law denies claim pay-
ments to illegally uninsured vic-
tims. For example, drivers who own
cars but have not satisfied the
financial responsibility require-
ments. Under the old law, they
received unlimited medical benefits.
Uninsured motorist coverage - This
pays for injury to policyholder or
passengers caused by uninsured or
hit and run drivers as well as
underinsured caverage. Minimum is
$15,000 for one person and $30,000
for all victims.
Lawsuit restriction - The old law
restricted lawsuit to those that
exceeded medical expenses of $750;
the new law makes no restrictions.
Collision and Comprehensive Cov-
erge - These function fo repair
vehicles and are not changed by the
new law.
auto insurance is the Motor Vehicle
Financial Responsibility Law, which
will effectively enable each motorist
fo choose whatever amounts of cer-
tain insurance coverages are best
suited to them; this will enable each
person to more effectively augment
their insurance or decrease it;
depending upon their budget. The
new law is intended to help control
the rising insurance costs by elimi-
nating the collection of benefits by
uninsured drivers and the payment
of duplicate benefits to claimants; a
frequent occurence under no-fault
insurance coverage. Both situations
resulted in unwarrented increases
in insurance costs to policyholders.
The initial choice is one of how
much coverage. The best answer
will be arrived at by you and your
own broker. Each vehicle owner
must demonstrate, however, *‘finan-
cial responsibility’’ to register the
car; that is that insurance or pri-
vate means can take Bare of liabil-
ity. If you self-certify to the Penn-
sylvania Department of
Transportation, you must be able to
prove that you can handle up to
$15,000 for one person injuries and
$30,000 for more than one. For most
of us, auto insurance will be the
more practical way to keep these
requirements.
If you do not purchase insurance
you receive no benefits; however, if
you don’t own a car you may
receive benefits from the party
involved or from the Assigned
Claims Plan, which is an organiza-
tion maintained and funded by the
insurance industry. The Catas-
trophic Loss fund, at $5.00 per
registrant is probabably a good
plan; the payment is small and the
insurance great, should the unfor-
tunate occur.
The major drawback to the new
insurance plans is that the motorist
himself will have responsibility for
his own coverage. Many will proba-
needs; a few may disregard the new
laws altogther. Ultimately, each
person is made responsible finan-
cially under this new law and the
choice of what position he or she
will be in, upon an accident, is left
totally up to the individual. There is
a great potential for saving dollars
with this new system; but just as
great a potential for personal blun-
ders that will increase cost with
liability.
Earl Samuel of the Samuel Insur-
ance Agency on Memorial Highway
in Dallas believes the major issue
people will face concerning the new
laws has to do with the wide gap
that will exist between $10,000 cov-
state. Many people will wish to
purchase automobile insurance and
cover the $90,000 with their hospital
insurances give that type of cover-
age.
to the $100,000. Remeber, these are
insurances to cover YOUR medical
bills. Samuel believes because of
these higher costs, premiums won't
be ‘lesser. He suspects, however,
or a decrease in rate jumps, over,
time.
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