[wahern]

> astronomical insurance payouts for accidental child death.

There's no such thing. Standard automobile insurance policies cap injury liability in the low 5 figures. If you cause an accident and someone is seriously injured, there's a good chance you'll be personally liable for the majority of damages. Ditto property--you total someone's $100,000 Mercedes and you're likely going to be paying money out-of-pocket.

If you have any significant assets it's worthwhile to buy an umbrella policy.

[sokoloff]

Mandated minimum insurance limits are often that low, but it’s quite common to get six-figure property damage liability coverage and mid-six-figure overall liability coverage. (And umbrella policies above that, but someone who needs less than half-million in coverage can readily get that on an ordinary auto policy.)

[wahern]

The parent comment seemed to insinuate that if the risk of injury from taller front-ends was substantially greater, it would be noticeably apparent in insurance premiums. But because of policy limits, that's not necessarily the case, and becomes less likely to be the case as the cost of medical care and damages awards stemming from pertinent types of collisions grow, to the extent they grow faster than typical policy limits.