Lawrence's battle against auto insurance fraud is paying off with substantial savings for drivers on their premiums. Premiums are lower not just in the city but in surrounding communities that paid higher rates to subsidize drivers in Lawrence.
The savings are proof that fighting fraud works. Lawrence residents should insist that police Chief John J. Romero get enough money in his budget to continue the fight.
The average premium in Lawrence dropped $400 this year, saving the city's drivers $10 million. Premiums are down in Methuen by an average $181 and in Haverhill an average $163. Drivers in Andover and North Andover are saving an average of just over $100.
Drivers in those communities had helped subsidize rates in Lawrence so that city drivers - already paying among the highest rates in the state - didn't have to pay still more. And the fraud fight in Lawrence has discouraged similar crimes in neighboring communities. Daniel Johnston, director of the Automobile Insurers Bureau of Massachusetts, told reporter Mark Vogler that Lawrence and the four surrounding communities accounted for half of the decline in insurance claims statewide since 2004.
It has been four years since Lawrence police and state prosecutors first took aim at the chiropractors, lawyers and drivers who benefit from staged accidents generating phony insurance claims. Until now, the payoff for drivers has been slight with savings of just a few dollars each year.
But now, thanks to the efforts of state Sen. Susan Tucker, who pushed for lower rates for Lawrence residents, and the city's growing track record of reduced claims, the savings are coming faster. Vogler found some residents with multiple cars who are saving close to $1,000 on their insurance bills.
The city has to keep the pressure on those who would commit fraud. But the budget proposed for the Police Department means the auto fraud task force would be eliminated, according to Romero.
It's wrong to do that just as residents are beginning to reap benefits from the fight. We agree with Johnston's assessment: "Not funding this police effort would be a crime."
The savings are proof that fighting fraud works. Lawrence residents should insist that police Chief John J. Romero get enough money in his budget to continue the fight.
The average premium in Lawrence dropped $400 this year, saving the city's drivers $10 million. Premiums are down in Methuen by an average $181 and in Haverhill an average $163. Drivers in Andover and North Andover are saving an average of just over $100.
Drivers in those communities had helped subsidize rates in Lawrence so that city drivers - already paying among the highest rates in the state - didn't have to pay still more. And the fraud fight in Lawrence has discouraged similar crimes in neighboring communities. Daniel Johnston, director of the Automobile Insurers Bureau of Massachusetts, told reporter Mark Vogler that Lawrence and the four surrounding communities accounted for half of the decline in insurance claims statewide since 2004.
It has been four years since Lawrence police and state prosecutors first took aim at the chiropractors, lawyers and drivers who benefit from staged accidents generating phony insurance claims. Until now, the payoff for drivers has been slight with savings of just a few dollars each year.
But now, thanks to the efforts of state Sen. Susan Tucker, who pushed for lower rates for Lawrence residents, and the city's growing track record of reduced claims, the savings are coming faster. Vogler found some residents with multiple cars who are saving close to $1,000 on their insurance bills.
The city has to keep the pressure on those who would commit fraud. But the budget proposed for the Police Department means the auto fraud task force would be eliminated, according to Romero.
It's wrong to do that just as residents are beginning to reap benefits from the fight. We agree with Johnston's assessment: "Not funding this police effort would be a crime."
