The Government has Bungled ICBC Beyond Repair

[hobbyguy]

lol, folks have been complaining about ICBC forever. You can not please all of the people all of the time.

Here's one from NDP government time:

https://www.oipc.bc.ca/investigation-reports/1256

And guess what? One of the driver's of ICBC claim costs and thus rates was: the NDP government of the 1990's: http://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/pete-mcmartin-icbcs-death-by-a-thousand-fender-benders

Why hasn’t B.C. mandated a cap like other provinces?

"Richard McCandless, a retired assistant deputy minister whose written policy papers on ICBC’s financial woes, had a succinct answer: “The lawyers,” he said, “are very powerful.”

The legal community, he pointed out, led a campaign in the 1990s against no-fault insurance, and have prospered at personal-injury claims."

Yes, the Liberals have chosen not to change that legislation, but certainly the happy dippers who started us down that road won't.

[my5cents]

Same truck cost me 60 a month more in bc that in Alberta. Better coverage for less in Alberta. In sask witch is also govt insurance it was better still than alberta and costs were much lower like 800 a year for full coverage there

I've jumped back this one as the question posed by Hassel99 wasn't answered.

You did later go on to say :

........Back on topic . I prefer choice to a monopoly. I realise sask has few ppl many many more roads and flat treeless landscapes . Easy to drive at night there for sure . Sgi even give u 2 free deer a year if u hit em u r covered

I find most people don't have half a clue what is involved in automobile insurance.

When a friend told me he paid much less for his coverage in AB I asked him about his coverage. Did he have glass coverage ? "OH no, that's way to expensive in AB." But he admitted that he did have that coverage in BC. So how can you compare ??

Ok does anyone know about "No Fault Coverage" in AB and BC ?

Now there is complete no fault in some places, that means nobody can sue anyone. All insurance just pays for medical, rehab, wage loss and if you bought it, the tin, no civil suit for pain and suffering. Much like if you are hurt at work when a co-worker is negligent and causes an injury, you can't sue, you just get medical, rehab and wage loss.

In BC and AB we have No Fault with Tort. How it works is. If you are hurt in an accident, and are insured by ICBC, which means you have ICBC coverage of any sort, or you have a driver's license in BC or you live in the household of someone who does, you have access to No Fault Coverage for medical, rehabilitation, and wage loss. The limit for the medical and rehab is $150,000 per person per incident, plus wage loss. For the ICBC coverage it doesn't matter where you are in North America when it happens. Your 9 year old son, on a field trip with his class is hit by a uninsured stolen vehicle, driven by a unlicensed driver while in Seattle, he is covered.

Now AB, IF the accident happens in AB involving an AB insured vehicle the incident has a $200,000 limit for all involved, period. So if your 9 year old lived there and was hit by the car in Seattle, tough beans.

You said you preferred choice to a monopoly.

I like to know that every vehicle I see that has a license plate on it, has at lease the minimum required insurance. In BC that is $200,000 liability.

So I think it's a great idea that ICBC, who provides each vehicle with plates and validation stickers requires that each purchase of plates/stickers comes with that MINIMUM $200,000 coverage. All the rest, collision, theft, fire, additional liability, road hazard etc etc can be purchased privately, or from ICBC.

[my5cents]

lol, folks have been complaining about ICBC forever. You can not please all of the people all of the time.

Here's one from NDP government time:

https://www.oipc.bc.ca/investigation-reports/1256

If anyone took the time to read this "complaint" is stems from ICBC providing enough personal info and claim info (bare bones) so a survey company could see what ICBC's customer thought about their claim service.

The complaint was that ICBC release their information to the survey company and that they were afraid that ICBC would hold any information they provided as feedback against them should they ever have a claim again.

The complainant alleged that ICBC provided the survey company with their SIN and it was quoted back to them, something both ICBC and the survey company deny.

As for negative feedback affecting subsequent claims, the survey company was instructed to supply back to ICBC just generic information about the responder, without identifying information.

In other words this was just a nonsense complaint, filed under dammed if you don't dammed if you do.

And guess what? One of the driver's of ICBC claim costs and thus rates was: the NDP government of the 1990's: http://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/pete-mcmartin-icbcs-death-by-a-thousand-fender-benders
Why hasn’t B.C. mandated a cap like other provinces?
"Richard McCandless, a retired assistant deputy minister whose written policy papers on ICBC’s financial woes, had a succinct answer: “The lawyers,” he said, “are very powerful.”
The legal community, he pointed out, led a campaign in the 1990s against no-fault insurance, and have prospered at personal-injury claims."
Yes, the Liberals have chosen not to change that legislation, but certainly the happy dippers who started us down that road won't.

Yes the question always comes up : "Why hasn’t B.C. mandated a cap like other provinces?"

Richard McCandless said it well : “The lawyers,” he said, “are very powerful.” The legal community, he pointed out, led a campaign in the 1990s against no-fault insurance, and have prospered at personal-injury claims."

If you had access to ICBC claims pay outs you would see that the rise in payments completely coincides with the moment (allowing for the lag time for settlements) lawyers were allowed to advertise, like they (at that time) did in the USA.

[my5cents]

It would be more correct to state that the pseudo liberal BC government has deliberately sabotaged the NDP creation of ICBC out of spite and vengeance for their former Socred overlords...

I have to disagree with you on a small point, I wouldn't call the other government the "former Socred overloards", I'd call them "the Liberals formerly called Socreds" or “the Socreds re-named Liberals”.

As I recall after the NDP were defeated there was a lot of talk about disbanding ICBC, selling it off and restarting a private auto insurance regime in BC. But, the Liberals hired a new CEO, to do the dirty work (I forget his name) to "investigate the viability of government insurance" and wouldn't you know, he fell in love with the company and the system of government auto insurance.

It was commonly thought that assigning the new CEO was just window dressing to usher in private insurance on his say so. As I recall he wasn't too popular with the Liberals/Socreds after that. Big mistake they accidentally appointed someone with integrity.

It wasn't long after that, that the Liberal figured out they could plunder ICBC's profits calling it a "dividend" to pad their coffers. No talk about privatization after that. You don't kill the goose that lays golden eggs.

[gordon_as]

As I recall he wasn't too popular with the Liberals/Socreds after that. Big mistake they accidentally appointed someone with integrity.
.

[lasnomadas]

Excellent comments, 'my 5cents', and I noticed you managed to convey all your information without once posting links. Who needs links when the information provided is so easy to read and understand? If anyone wants to refute your info, they can use the search engine of their choice. I'll be watching for their rebuttals.

[hobbyguy]

The fact remains that for the coverage we get (no fault) and the services ICBC provides like claim centers etc., the closet true cost comparison is Ontario, where rates are 30-40% higher from private providers - who provide far less service and consistency.

You do indeed have the option of going private for a good chunk of your auto insurance, but I found it to be roughly the same cost. Plus when I insured my trailer with one of them, they were complete &5## to deal with once they got my money.

The reality of the rising rates is well covered in this article: http://www.nsnews.com/opinion/baldrey-insurance-corp-of-b-c-is-still-a-political-football-1.3453255

The B.C. Liberals now say they will not take a financial “dividend” from the increasingly cash-strapped Crown for at least the next three years. But even that hands-off approach (assuming they stick with that pledge, and assuming an NDP government, if elected, also would not dip its hand in) won’t solve the riddle of rising costs.

Vehicle crashes in B.C. have jumped an astounded 15 per cent in the past two years (distracted driving has likely played a major role in the big increase). Those crashes mean personal injury claims are up (and more expensive on their own; whiplash damages now average more than $22,000, up from an average of less than $5,000 a decade ago) and so are the costs of repairing vehicles.

Improved technology and safety features on motor vehicles have made them much more expensive to repair. For example, in 2005 it cost $620 to repair the windshield of a Toyota Camry. Today, it costs $2,250 (because of a built-in crash avoidance camera) and takes longer to fix.

Another example: a headlight of a Mazda 6 cost $500 to replace in 2005, but today the cost has ballooned a whopping 220 per cent to about $1,600.

Throw in the adverse U.S. dollar exchange rate (most repair parts are sourced in U.S. dollars) and an alarming situation looks even bleaker."

So if you want to do something about ICBC rates - better start honking at every idiot you see texting while driving and out in the winter with summer tires!

[Jflem1983]

I don't think it is distracted driving . I think it is new Canadians struggling with winter . Last two winters have had snow on the coast .

[Bsuds]

You do indeed have the option of going private for a good chunk of your auto insurance, but I found it to be roughly the same cost.

We have private insurance and save several hundred on insurance for 2 cars. That's each!

Close to $500+ a year is nothing to sneeze at!

[driveangry]

We have private insurance and save several hundred on insurance for 2 cars. That's each!

Close to $500+ a year is nothing to sneeze at!

Can you explain this for me ??

I don't have collision, only comp., but it's only about $86 a year. My agent can't beat that with private ins.

[Bsuds]

Can you explain this for me ??

I don't have collision, only comp., but it's only about $86 a year. My agent can't beat that with private ins.

Collision is what the private companies offer and is where the big savings are. If you don't carry collision then it's a moot point for you.

All our vehicles are newer and I would not be without collision coverage.

[Jflem1983]

I drive a new truck do tell sir . Is it worth shopping around . Why wouldn't the insurance guy at the dealership get me the good rate . Just asking

[Bsuds]

I drive a new truck do tell sir . Is it worth shopping around . Why wouldn't the insurance guy at the dealership get me the good rate . Just asking

Because he probably makes more from ICBC. You can get a quote online from https://www.canadiandirect.com

I do think there is more discount for Senior drivers.

[Jflem1983]

Says they are owned by intact . I sorta got a bone to pick with intact . Hard to cancel a policy with them . Ended up paying insurance in 2 provinces . For 3 months . Should be able to just phone and cancel

[my5cents]

Collision is what the private companies offer and is where the big savings are. If you don't carry collision then it's a moot point for you.
All our vehicles are newer and I would not be without collision coverage.

You make it sound like ICBC doesn't offer collision.
Simple to say "except for the first $200,000 public liability, private auto insurance sells exactly what ICBC sells"