Longwood To Implement Crash Fee For Out-Of-Town Drivers
Tuesday, November 6, 2007 – updated: 7:25 am EST November 6, 2007
LONGWOOD, Fla. -- Watch out drivers: in 30 days it will cost more to have an accident in Longwood if you don't live in the city. But residents say the new crash fee may end up costing them, too.If you have an accident the city will charge you, on average, $250 for an emergency crew response, but everyone's insurance rates may go up. The next time you have an accident in Longwood and it's your fault, you will have to pay more than your insurance deductible.The city will soon start charging drivers a crash fee for emergency responders. Insurance experts said although people who live in Longwood don't have to pay a crash fee, they may pay in other ways."I can assure you right now if you insurance companies continue to get subjected to these fees, insurance rates will go up," said Stuart Hodes from AAA.Cities like Tampa have shied away from the fees because there is a major concern about who pays if the insurance company doesn't. The Longwood police chief said there were more than 1,500 accidents in the city every year and drivers who don' t live in Longwood cause 90-percent of them."If someone from another community comes here and utilizes our services, be it police or ambulance, I think they should pay for it," said Bruce Kubec, a Longwood resident."I think it's government's excuse to find more revenue and they really don't need to," added Robert Wons, another Longwood resident.Winter Park and Minneola already charge a crash fee.
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