oh, YUCCH (newspeak du jour)

Major Insurance Savings

Sport utility vehicles have been taking their lumps in the press what with
mounting evidence of their tendencies to roll over taking turns and kill
all the occupants. This has lead extremists to demand that insurance
companies charge higher rates to owners of the larger vehicles to cover
the greater damage they cause. But a major firm, State Farm Insurance, has
stepped forward to challenge this conventional wisdom. Dale Nelson, a
State Farm actuary says the company's own research shows sports utility
vehicles do not have higher bodily injury and property damage liability
costs. In fact, reports Mr. Nelson, "Sport utility vehicles may actually
save insurers money in a few accidents, by killing people who might
otherwise have survived with serious injuries.  Severe injuries tend to
produce larger settlements than deaths."  Rumor has it that Jeep Cherokee
will receive State Farm's Public Service Award for reducing costly
insurance claims. (NYT  10/17)