Regional news:
New astrological signs foretell drivers’ chances of crashing
Bob Graham is executive editor at Insurance & Financial Advisor and IFAwebnews.com.
My astrological sign has apparently changed, along with a lot of people’s, because the gravitational pull of the moon was wrongly interpreted, or so say some astronomers. They have traded my easy to pronounce Sagittarius (Dec. 17 date of birth) with the new, no-way-to-pronounce Ophiuchus (Nov. 27 to Dec. 17 now). Yes, astronomers have told astrologers that their readings were all wrong.
The new chart means that all those times I was told to “Fight the urge to bite more than I could chew” or “Wait for clouds to clear before proceeding on an important task,” I should have been, well, doing nothing, because my sign didn’t exist, or was wrong.
I raise the obvious craziness of the situation only because Allstate Insurance decided to add another layer to the zodiacal chaos. Its staff has analyzed its claims data against the revised astrological chart to determine the safest drivers.
Virgos (Sept. 16 to Oct. 30 birth date now), sorry to tell you, but you must be looking at the stars instead of the road because you are the most apt to crash. In the last year, they were 700% more likely to be in a crash than the old Scorpios, known as determined and aware, and the safest drivers, according to the study. Virgos are known, astrologically speaking, to be critical, meticulous and reserved. No so behind the wheel apparently. Or at least according to Allstate.
Below is the breakdown, again, according to Allstate.
Oh, one more thing. Next to the Scorpios (now Nov. 23 to Nov. 28 birth dates), we Ophiuchus are safe drivers, according to Allstate. It must be our obvious “wise, ambitious and lucky” personality qualities. What can I say? It’s written in the stars, at least until someone else changes it all again.
| Sign | Birthdates | Key personality traits | Drivers in 2010 crashes | |
| Scorpio | November 23 – November 28 | Passionate, resourceful | 26,833 | |
| Ophiuchus | November 29 – December 17 | Wise, ambitious, lucky | 83,234 | |
| Cancer | July 21 - August 9 | Compassion, sensitivity | 101,539 | |
| Aquarius | February 16 – March 11 | Progressive, independent | 106,878 | |
| Libra | October 31 – November 22 | Cooperative, gracious | 110,592 | |
| Aries | April 17 - May 13 | Impatience, determination | 112,402 | |
| Capricorn | January 18 – February 15 | Responsible, disciplined | 128,005 | |
| Gemini | June 20 - July 20 | Short attention span, nervous | 136,904 | |
| Sagittarius | December 18 – January 17 | Impatient, idealistic | 154,477 | |
| Pisces | March 12 - April 16 | Fearful, overly trusting | 172,030 | |
| Taurus | May 14 – June 19 | Uncompromising, possessive | 177,503 | |
| Leo | August 10 – September 15 | Arrogance, inflexibility | 179,657 | |
| Virgo | September 16 – October 30 | Worry, shyness | 211,650 | |
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4 Responses
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Bob Graham Says:
January 31st, 2011 at 7:32 amAn update from Allstate Insurance Jan. 29:
Allstate Corrects Misperceptions Zodiac Press Release May Have Created
The Allstate Corporation today issued the following statement:
We recently issued a press release on Zodiac signs and accident rates, which led to some confusion around whether astrological signs are part of the underwriting process.
Astrological signs have absolutely no role in how we base coverage and set rates. Rating by astrology would not be actuarially sound. We realize that our hard working customers view their insurance expense very seriously. So do we.
We deeply apologize for any confusion this may have caused.
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Joseph-Mark Says:
February 21st, 2011 at 9:59 pmAllstate has created a random act of statistical chaos that has astrologers, astronomers & vehicular passengers chuckling at whoever is at the wheel here!
Zodiac Signs are 30 degree sectors of space in Western Tropical Astrology.
Ophiuchus ( pronounced O-Fee-ooh- kus ) has been holding a serpent of stars for millenia.
It has never been seen as close enough to the ecliptic to be considered a zodiac sign.
Notice that the new Scorpions in this study only take up 5 days of the year,
whereas the new dangerous Virgos take up 46 days.
As a Canadian sstrologer I suggest that Allstate compare Vermont & Utah meandering drivers against Calfornian & New York road ragers! -
Isispriest Says:
March 9th, 2011 at 10:35 pmThe supposed “new Astrology system” is all wrong. Every few decades a misinformed astronomer comes up with this junk. Why it got the press is the mystery. Just the religion of science trying to debunk the competition.
https://isispriest.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/the-13th-astrology-sign-ophiuchus-is-bullshit/ -
Matt Says:
July 18th, 2011 at 6:52 amCorrecting some wrong statements from previous commenters….
Joseph-Mark writes: “Ophiuchus….has never been seen as close enough to the ecliptic to be considered a zodiac sign.” Not close enough??? The ecliptic runs THROUGH Ophiuchus. It’s one of the 13 constellations that the ecliptic goes through.
Isispriest, unlike astrologers, astronomers actually observe the sky. They know what constellation the sun is in on different dates. What you’ve heard about 13 constellations and the sun spending different amounts of time in each one is correct. Oh, and if you think science is a religion, then you don’t understand science. Science is not a belief system. It is based on actual observations and evidence. Finally, the article you provided link to is filled with scientific errors. It would have been good to have a scientist review it for you before posting it.
