ICBC’s doomed proposal to jack drivers’ insurance rates up whether they have one speeding ticket or multiple was misguided at best.
After all, a corporation awash in cash shouldn’t need the extra revenue that would have been generated by raising the rates for one-ticket drivers.
Initially, the idea smacked of government interference and money grabbing, despite Highways Minister Shirley Bond’s insistence later that she knew nothing of the plan.
We applaud her effort to force the Crown corporation she oversees to reverse its plan to revise its strategy for rewarding squeaky-clean drivers.
Attempting to look at the situation from an insurer’s point of view, who makes it less safe to drive on the roads every day?
Is it the habitual amber light runner, the driver that consistently risks the safety of other drivers and vehicle passengers? Sure. The most serious injury crashes take place in intersections.
What about the impatient driver who rides the rear end of vehicles in front of them, thinking such a tactic will somehow get them to their destination faster? Most definitely, given ICBC’s own rear-end crash statistics.
ICBC issues penalty points for dozens of violations, all of which have a fine attached to them.
The majority are worth either two or three points, with the exception of driving without due care and driving without consideration (see amber light runner above), worth six points each and fines of $368 and $196, respectively.
Perusing the fines list alone might scare some people into driving more safely and within the rules. For others, one speeding ticket could convince them to perhaps leave for their destination a little earlier.
The bottom line is ICBC shouldn’t need to target low-risk drivers for higher premiums, not when other people’s driving records show a consistent pattern of disobeying the law.