I am an evil endangered minority

[MSTRS:Me]

Wait until some polly introduces fines for fat people having diabetes and heart disease...

[Bass]

Wait until some polly introduces fines for fat people having diabetes and heart disease...

That's not as silly as it sounds and already happens after a fashion.
For example, you are unlikely to be accepted for transplant surgery if you are a smoker or for weight reduction surgery if you can't lose any weight on your own.

Anyway, thus far, we have had nearly as many different answers to my question as there have been responses, with perhaps some emphasis on the reason being that road safety is an easy target.

No-one has challenged the basic premise that the situation is as I stated it.

The next question then, has to ask whether this is an acceptable state of affairs and if not, what to do about it. To my mind, it's understandable that the easier problems get tackled first, but surely there must come a time when the harder ones move up the priority list.
Or am I just being naive?

[MSTRS:Me]

Not exactly.
Having a target, and making money in the pursuit of that target is very different to saying we won't save you from yourself...

[p.dath]

To extend what Hitcher said and try to add yet a little more perspective, I have never really understood why there is so much focus on the road toll anyway.

Let me pose a different question, as it answers makes a lot of things clearer. Should suicide be legal - and why?

[Ronin]

Let me pose a different question, as it answers makes a lot of things clearer. Should suicide be legal - and why?

I'm curious as to how many people have been successfully prosecuted for committing suicide?

[T.W.R]

I'm curious as to how many people have been successfully prosecuted for committing suicide?

Life insurance isn't worth the paper it's written on if someone commits suicide

[p.dath]

I'm curious as to how many people have been successfully prosecuted for committing suicide?

I think you'll find people are forced into having care provided for them under the legislation (either by the state or released to family), as opposed to being fined or imprisoned ...

But I digress. It is not important in this discussion. Societies views towards suicide (taking your own life) should be related to how we feel about loosing a life due to an accident on a public road and weather be need more enforcement and laws to prevent it happening.

[MSTRS:Me]

Legislating to prevent suicide is as ridiculous as legislating speed limits to prevent road deaths.

A certain number of road deaths ARE suicides, anyway.

[Edbear]

Life insurance isn't worth the paper it's written on if someone commits suicide

Most life insurances state that suicide is not covered for the first 13 months but are after that.

[T.W.R]

Most life insurances state that suicide is not covered for the first 13 months but are after that.

Most suicide clauses will only pay what amount the primiums have accrued to upto the time of death.

Suicide Clause
The suicide clause in your policy specifies that the insurance company will not pay the money if the insured attempts or commits suicide within a specified period from the beginning of the coverage. If the insured's death is a result of suicide, an insurer will only return previously paid premiums to the family.

[Edbear]

Most suicide clauses will only pay what amount the primiums have accrued to upto the time of death.

Suicide Clause
The suicide clause in your policy specifies that the insurance company will not pay the money if the insured attempts or commits suicide within a specified period from the beginning of the coverage. If the insured's death is a result of suicide, an insurer will only return previously paid premiums to the family.

That's what I said, and it is usuallly 13 months. I was selling insurance for a while and this was pretty much standard across the companies.

[T.W.R]

That's what I said, and it is usuallly 13 months. I was selling insurance for a while and this was pretty much standard across the companies.

That's making any form of payout in the specified period (13mths - 2yrs) and hereafter they only pay the accrued amount of primium payments made upto time of death.... to bad if you've got a policy for say $250k etc and 5yrs after the policy was initiated you cap yourself, your family is left in the shit

[red mermaid]

It is, and has been since at least 1962, against the law to attempt to commit suicide.

Legislating to prevent suicide is as ridiculous as legislating speed limits to prevent road deaths.

A certain number of road deaths ARE suicides, anyway.

[yachtie10]

That's making any form of payout in the specified period (13mths - 2yrs) and hereafter they only pay the accrued amount of primium payments made upto time of death.... to bad if you've got a policy for say $250k etc and 5yrs after the policy was initiated you cap yourself, your family is left in the shit

which is why suicide by cop aparently has become more common (or at least more creative ways to commit suicide)
Do we have any documented cases in NZ? (and did the insurance company pay out?)

[MSTRS:Me]

It is, and has been since at least 1962, against the law to attempt to commit suicide.

Of course. How could I have forgotten? :slap:

Well, duh, I know it's against the law. I'm just drawing parallels. Legislation doesn't stop people attempting or succeeding, or road deaths. To think otherwise is just stupid.