WASHINGTON, Feb. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4: CAR INSURANCE
Profile America — Saturday, February 4th. Car insurance is both required and a major item in the budget of most households. The idea of insuring cars against accidents began this month in 1898 when The Traveler's Insurance Company issued a policy to Dr. Truman Martin of Buffalo. His policy cost $12.25 and gave him $5,000 in coverage. Martin was chiefly concerned about accidents between his automobile — one of less than 4,000 in the entire country at the time and horses, which numbered about 18 million. Now, cars and trucks outnumber horses more than 246 million to just over 7 million. The average car costs its owner $789 a year to insure. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.
Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2008, p. 108
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 520, 716, 1208
Statistical Abstract 2012, t. 1096, 1223
Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for "Multimedia Gallery" by the "Newsroom" button).
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau
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