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Show 2 Vernal Express Wednesday, Sept. 12, 1990 r ByJockWollis Car Insurance Fraud One of the fastest growing crimes in the U.S. today where millions of people are victims, sometimes without with-out even being aware that it's happened to them, is auto insurance fraud. According to Western Insurance Information Service, over 30 percent of all auto accident claims are estimated to be dishonest and that number is increas ing. Nationally, 15 percent of all premium dollars go towards falsified claims. Estimates vary on the magnitude of the fraud problem. prob-lem. The Insurance Crime Prevention Institute estimates esti-mates that the property and casualty industry loses $16 billion a year from a variety of fraud schemes. Then again, the International Association of Special Investigative Units, a membership organization consisting con-sisting of insurance company fraud investigators, believes the losses are closer to $20 billion a year. The Federal Trade Commission estimates the fraudulent fraudu-lent medical claims cost the health insurance industry approximately $10 billion a year. Staged auto accidents and fake medical bills are the most common scams used today by criminals to defraud the insurance industry. Thousands of auto accidents are deliberately staged every day for the sole purpose of illegally collecting millions of dollars in false personal injury insurance claims, according to Western Insurance Information Service. Although the insurance industry spends millions every year in the battle against fraud, everyone pays for insurance fraud through increased insurance premiums premi-ums and falsely blemished driving records. Schemes run the gamut from accidents, to sophisticated sophisti-cated rings using altered documents to submit claims on cars that don't exist, to "owner give-ups" where car owners report their cars stolen in collusion with criminals crimi-nals who "steal" their cars for them and then collect the insurance money. Western Insurance Information Service has given several suggestions to consumers to help recognize auto accident fraud and what to do if you think you are a victim. Things to be suspicious of include, a vehicle in front of you suddenly stops for no apparent reason, objecting object-ing to a police report being filed, no injuries claimed at the time of an accident but later injuries are claimed. Other favorite fraud cases include large, beat-up older model vehicles, temporary driver's license is the only identification the other driver had, did the accident happen in such a way that you obviously will be held liable, even though you know it wasn't your fault. According to claims, auto accident stagers are looking look-ing for well-insured vehicles. These include commercial commer-cial vehicles, well-dressed drivers of drivers in a late model or new car, lone drivers or woman drivers. If you think you're a victim of a fraudulent auto accident you should file a police report, inform your insurance company and write down all the information you can concerning the vehicle, occupants and location loca-tion of the accident and time and damage done. Do not under any circumstances confront or otherwise other-wise challenge anyone whom you suspect is involved in a potentially fraudulent claim. This should be hart died by the proper authorities. Driving safely is the only way to protect yourself from becoming the victim of a staged accident. Be aware of the cars around you, drive defensively and do not tailgate. If you see an accident, stop and be a witness. If enough people come forward, we can abolish auto insurance fraud. The crux of preventing auto insurance fraud is to become aware of the problem and use the suggestions given by the insurance companies. Preventing vehicle accident fraud can save billions in lower insurance premiums. f THERE'S A BUNCH (U OF HOT AIR BALLOONS k V V ram& TO VERNAL J ( THOUGHT THEY WAsVSM J PUBLIC FORUM Letters to the Editor What is your opinion? The Express welcomes letters from its readers concerning any subject pertinent to the Uintah Basin. There are no restrictions as to contents, if not libelous or vindictive. Letters will not be accepted over two (2) typed written double spaced pages. Letters must be submitted exclusively to the Express and bear the writer's full name, signature, phone number and address. The name or names of those submitting letters must appear on all published letters. All letters are subject to condensation. Letters to the Editor express the opinion of the writer and are not necessarily the opinion of the Vernal Express or Its staff. Phone upgrade Dear Editor, I am compelled to offer a viewpoint view-point regarding an article in the Sept. 5, 1990 edition of the Vernal Express newspaper entitled "Commissioners Balk At Endorsing Phone Upgrade." Let me say from the onset that, as a business owner, I feci that the Commissioners made a most gricvi-ous gricvi-ous error in rejecting U.S. West's proposal of the $100 million statewide state-wide investment I wish to lend full and unbridled support of the proposal pro-posal for Uintah County, on behalf of R.W. Jones Trucking Company. As multiplc-linc phone users, wc feci that improvements in the services ser-vices outlined in the proposal at the switching offices, enhancement of the fiber optics, the digital microwave, with the conveniences I OUR I TOWN boost Face the facts. The money is offered, here and now. The four year cap on rate increases, along with the 50 percent return of any Communications profits over 12 percent to the cus- . . . tomcrs, is a better rate of return than Upgrade WOUld even a U.S. Government secured i nnMnm! certificate of deposit. U.S. West Oe eCUUUIIHU Communications has a more substantial sub-stantial historical track record of performance. To again quote the article, It is not the same as if the Government is telling us that "we're here to help." Far be from it for a politician to make that comment Arc we going to let them continue to make Utah the lowest rate of return for this type of investment in the nation? Wc feel that when the winds of change blow about you, only a foolish fool-ish person would build a tent and hide in it. A wise person will build a wind mill. Communciations of the world community arc the essence ByStvn Wallli Iipnii Kwi f diior which wc live. Robert A. Jones Dress code.., oi can waning, u rcc-way uia. ng, anJ ,;fc fcIood of our continucd speca caning, anu caii iorwaru.ng iscncc t0 very community in residential and commercial users. In answer to the Commissioners' comments in the article that "competition "com-petition would eventually force U.S. West Communications to make improvements anyway out of necessity;" neces-sity;" Fifty years of business experience experi-ence has tuiht our company that this tine of thinking leads to curtailed cur-tailed expenditures in development and a consequential Lick of pro posed services, by all panics involved. Vernal Express (ISSN 0002.1031) fWmNxJ pwy Wefiay s $'5 t y in Njpt-fi pa ai4 1,'S p" out ot M o !' wiNn U:A Ijt f Vet- ( ttrmt Vul. WiV MO- fr- y4 Uai pos9 p4 1 Vona Usa 40?8 rOMW.tl l f.ol Bdfos l -ee 0 VI hum txroLSS. fO (! iwd. Va'. JarCttViH f. loven n Vi t Janel O n' t Pytv t-at ;' rhon 783-351! rAX 783 flr,30 Momhw qI IJ-ah f" Aasr a". w4 fcifao. . 4fV-M3 TS3 J'l? Trrfol W HT ;V3 IkCa-"" ' r 7 ' " " ? Wimirti,,,. V.utf -7-ur. ? 'a Utv'iin ) J- 3f AVt -- T t-'J3f 11 . s'''-!'J TfeJ""' Contmuod from pae 1 done in light of the dress code after that. The new dress code is as follows. (1) Student working around m&tutt cry will have anuopriatc covering dr hair length so it cannot he Caught in any part of the machine. (2) Studcnu winking around any ftxij service area shall wear apinutc he,ij coverings. (3) Immodest tloih-ing, tloih-ing, including Link tops of cccs-sivcly cccs-sivcly tight anitbf sfKirt clothing h prohibited. (4) CloUnnj! Of Othcf pcrstial .'Ktcs'-iitic wuh in-.igniai of alcoholic k vet ages, drjg, t b.xco w un.ipjxopfi.iu: lngu.ige of symbols will not he allowed t luliool or at Kiwi attiviiics. (5)SiU'lcni iH crrvi-e judgement in diCi and gnu mmg. (fiiNottiing irt i!k-.c rreul.iiioTn it intended ti intrude on Con-iitotmn Of ;.-.:. .ti 'ry tithlt, w l1"! a l!c Hu.lrr.w fa Hot dnwjH .lv o ii ) m -(itrd w u it if . Some farrnu arc loiHrmrJ r,h aV.iming students tO XM vhtU t'1 Kfvtil. but a one panrnl anj tfh-cr tfh-cr Mid, "I (N't have M let my I i-h caf sh"fU if I iJin'l a'l (!rrn to. It nh'-uM he up to l'"-e p-in-nt i i'-f-ule belief or r" tbtir lid? rar ttnirt? (o v r'l." U- ne w tit i p jr u (n a tml b,r.i fnly. 5ufl mfn-.Vrt t length ff ti1-r.!? n I pti,v? Icfglh. Pnmmy ejection wimiinieErs In a community as isolated as Vcmal, it would be foolish not to take an offer for upgrading a communications com-munications system. U.S. West officials want to invest $100 million in Utah over the next four years. There will not he any rate increase during that time, but there will he upgrade in conveniences such as Call Waiting, Thrcc-way Dialing, Speed Calling and Call Forwarding. Also in the plan is a upgrade of fiber ojnics and digital Switching. The opjxmunities arc great for home and school educational opjxir-(unities. opjxir-(unities. To make this all hapjxrn the public service Commission mu-.t npptovc on increac in return on investment by U.S. West stiKkholder. currently current-ly Utah is the lowest in the nation on J jtixkhoKkrs arc not going to invest in the sute if iky can get a heiter return elsewhere. lliC Utah Legislature passed in iu J9V0 v.ssmn a pwvismn for a incentive regulation J-'un, t'nder the provision, the Setivce Cimmiv.inn can set rates of return wuh language that if U.S. West Mfn ftifwe t!uf Bj'jxpvcd t rmr-t divide tbo-j; fTtf-it.t fTtf-it.t ?-'V'n. Hut give U.S. Wc-.t an unlimited ti'C of friitiri, but male ft enticing cn.v.rb i,y jnc-t hi St. nv.::i-'ri. Such iirptnvemenl in j!,inc V"f kCiii) Nt4 ti i'-C bi sl fc I'nf ftiy rfal nj irVt! f a.y f f Vi -I- pe eve i tn do hu'-ir- u nh - I x . 'r Mi 1 Lv-ii'.ifjwiiiiuKwkilk MMk. Vital A " 'i-' ; I 11 m HT'-- f " Lloyd Meacham U I J 1 j f i f: j A Pat McNeill LorinMerkley f ' r-- v -V"'.; - RonEnloe j j J " 1 V? o . . .. j I yk I 1 . r1-' , Dr. Ed Oscarson DennisJudd rjAZ THE VOICE OF BUSINESS I OOMINQ oproRTUNmns in furopf. I; Dr. Rkkvd L LJ( Prtrident VS. CKxnbct ofCtmmtrt DaWon Wright Library... tinnr.-.iTi votfvl lo create a oc Ct,d tarj fund bcrc d''a:.iont, fine f v.n rr f . : Umx, tif-t ff In r?ary i aid n.J iKet ffnkfi . ;,'. Uz in j-U.c fM immediate M-X I ) the Id fsfy. "11 ? it V'!T.ri!-,in2 c f-acC 3r'0 t I f" 3 l g lmr Halff M: J Election... f' IV himary at f ! 4 2 p"" f't IV ptfj I Hr b:V-4 tKtvx,i II N"W r- J r,S f1 J r-i V I s; n .. .- f r -' t H ft 1': r rCHirxj rn up yew SB! ADVt UUZl i i' CaII 789 3511 WASHINGTON - It is tolling more and nu a if the pmjreif 4 unification of We stan rumpcan na tion dated for J992 will fir.ut an abundant e of re w orportuniitei for the United SuifJf. A utrrxig, vilrant bu.sinr.u tflviroo-fnrnt tflviroo-fnrnt and t) jungle biggr.it maikcl of aiTlufnt eevnicuncn anyhere is being (fTaieJ trt Lumj. A cmntnned turn-pran turn-pran communiiy market i!l have more tHan 325 milium cemumrrt and a Grtn twitiC rn!nct a'prn:n4Pg J$ tril-iNm.pittirg tril-iNm.pittirg it in a Irapie iih Uc corn-hirwtt corn-hirwtt U.S.'Cana4.an mailrt TT rf t)ynmum f thP unified f iinT-jin maidet i alieajy eviilenl. tifirg tiv railf ISTt, the t im Tr an pa: . Ulhf f InU almpq millhfl ). Put in the f--f to yan, ai invr;tif t nt( ij'aiipg gTtai ifnnjt n t nr..lw.l bi ft a pf e (f the acUin, irume pi- rnilimn new ntn ert ere-a ere-a if-4 tJ , Hiiinftvi rt in the van-giiar; van-giiar; t( ihi ina:n m. a'-uwirg u esf a "t'ifie "f rT f1 p m if ne f unvn tr.a-'k '1. nvnt in trf i fvl hanl In faihiwn. (ir'aiff Knnrmit) r4 al in an fn- Brrt-i.jHjf Hmf.j fftrxi dilate f a'ff p f"'!5, 8 'il fa:!rt r"Vft flh. V-m-ft tranjpwTj: i ti-sts, har- business laws and regulations, and libaalied investment climate. In oilier words ik original fears on this idc of the Atlantic Uial wc might he excluded from t "fortress rumrc" are alsaung. The ruropcans, to tlieir credit, have atknowlcilged our concerns and, for the most part, rc'onded to them. They nxogru that economic growth is not ?cro sum game - that the ley to Sustained growth, on both sides of the Atlantic is more commerce, not less. To be sure, there remain items of di-puie that could deprive ihe U.S. of full a cesctnthe rumpcanmaikeL Some of these arc testing and certifkanon requirements re-quirements that could discriminate Bgamst U.S. pmdmw; a few onerous kxakonienirutetlhathUtaniJy mitigaie against imrxirv of US. products am4 iwrvH r i, and die "buy T umv" ptivtsinn included in the tC's rmeiging psitJic pnxvirrmcni lr gislatiim. fut while w nrfij to Ityp up the pressure tolnmk (Jin rrmaming bar-ntii bar-ntii to full U.S. aeceu li the runwan mailet.puf maincxrm ifnnlil be that e t' f-m W- tfviif ruling iih a for-midahlc for-midahlc rHw tnmprtitfw. In winse , r viri i fii-J flirty itipov imfwn gTate channg? (- us lhan ihe vi giirru pim-rrf of Asu. ,r!i!l.(ip-ljliO 9lmasbrir!rnit if hc;t in in All we a.k ii a tevd f if g f-IJ. 1 |