What do you think of what you said when compared to what I said in Replies 54 and 55?
As a rural driver, your fifty miles driven hardly equal the risk taken by someone on I-680 through Concord, for instance. So, miles driven and risk have no correlation as 'area' isn't figuered in.
If insurance is going to be mandatory, the best way to pay for it would be at the pump, and a system could easily determine that you already have insurance when you swipe a card. For those paying cash, the price of a gallon could reflect a fee for insurance (unless they produce an insurance card, etc.)
The system I'd propose would reward rural dwellers as it would discount any fee imposed based upon area accident rate statistics. Large urban areas would by nature have to pay more given their higher rate of accidents.
For people living in the middle of nowhere, four dollar a gallon gas is already a tax. No need for an insurance company to pile on. I'd settle for a minimum fee to cover fender benders so you aren't holding the bag when some loser rearends your car- which is paid for by said 'loser' each time he buys gas. At the same time, insurance cos. should be able to sell additional insurance as may be needed, but those rates should reflect the 'risks' driving represents in certain areas. The same logic could be applied to a gallon of gas: cityboy ain't getting any 'free ride' when he rolls into an East Bay Arco station.
ps. Could you flush your toilets a little more often, Folsom Lake is getting low.