Allstate Corp. was just trying to be funny when it ranked 2010 accident rates by Zodiac signs. But insurers are not known for their comic wit, and the joke fell flat on its face.
Allstate issued a press release on Feb. 2 saying that "worried and shy" Virgos were the most accident-prone of all signs while Scorpios had the safest rate of all. "Over the past year, Virgos were nearly 700% more likely to be in a car accident when compared to the determined and aware Scorpio," said the presser.
Allstate's deadpan tone was stone cold sober. But this was an insurance company, not The Onion, and people thought it was real.
Allstate followed with an apology was even more solemn than its joke: "Rating by astrology would not be actuarially sound. We realized that our hard working customers view their insurance expense very seriously. So do we."
Maybe they should have tried it on April Fool's Day.-- Aaron Smith
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