Fair enough. I ran an orange light a few years ago and my insurance costs went up by 150%. While the $500/year price tag may be what's on paper, I find that it

Fair enough. I ran an orange light a few years ago and my insurance costs went up by 150%. While the $500/year price tag may be what's on paper, I find that it isn't the reality for most people. It isn't so much bringing the government in, as just using them as the non-profit middle man to tally all the car-related damage costs, then foot the bill to the public. If someone wanted to opt out and use private insurance, they would be free to do so. Obviously this will never happen in the USA, but it would be an interesting social experiment for a smaller country perhaps.