Only 21 percent supported the concept of emergency response fees, while 50 percent opposed the idea of cities charging fees to respond to traffic accidents, according to a poll commissioned by the Insurance Information Network of California. Twenty-six percent were undecided.
Opposition to the fees increased when respondents were told that cities typically billed drivers' insurance companies to collect the charges. When asked whether they support or oppose the idea of insurers being charged accident fees, 62 percent said they opposed the idea while 29 percent supported it.
Respondents also rejected the idea of making accident response fees a covered insurance peril, which could cause insurance costs to rise.
Reaction to the questions mirrored statewide results in areas where local agencies are either considering or have instated the fee collection programs.
So-called "accident response fees" have garnered statewide attention this year as budget-strapped cities have attempted to recoup fire and police costs by charging drivers for response to accident scenes. Cities typically contract with third-party collection agencies, which bill drivers' insurance companies.
However, the fees are not universally covered under typical California auto insurance policies.
Cities considering the fees have faced a backlash by residents and local businesses. This month, Huntington Beach city officials cited bad publicity as they acted to rescind the city's accident fee program only one month after approving it.
"It's clear that the public does not believe that budget shortfalls should be filled by charging motorists for emergency services," said IINC Executive Director Candysse Miller. "The prospect of insurance costs rising to routinely cover these fees only increases their opposition." The poll of 800 likely voters across the state was conducted for IINC by Public Opinion Strategies September 12th to 15th. The poll has a margin of error of 3.46 percent.
The IINC California Poll surveys state voters about topical issues involving the property-casualty insurance industry. Past surveys have evaluated Californians' attitudes toward disaster preparedness, auto insurance choices and managing financial decisions.
Past polls by IINC revealed that while as many as two-thirds of Californians believe that homeowners have the primary responsibility to keep their insurance policies current, only about one-third had actually read their homeowners policy in the past year.
For additional poll results, please visit the IINC web site at www.iinc.org.
IINC is a non-profit, non-lobbying association dedicated to helping the public understand insurance and manage risk.