Like it or not, we all have to deal with the Insurance Corporation of B.C.
That is, those of us who drive, or who get hit by those of us who drive.
Not long ago, in January, the province’s Attorney General David Eby referred to ICBC’s fiscal reality as a “financial dumpster fire” and uttered a dire warning that a $400 premium increase would be required for each driver in this province in order for the corporation to simply break even.
And so it is with bated breath that we await a report which in coming weeks is expected to reveal what British Columbians have to say about improving this behemoth and the 30-year-old-plus model it uses to determine insurance rates.
OUR VIEW: “ICBC ‘dumpster fire’ needs to be doused
OUR VIEW: Get real on the road, Surrey
B.C. VIEWS: Fixing the real problem at ICBC
Nearly 30,000 British Columbians have weighed in on a “public engagement” questionnaire seeking feedback on how to improve the rating system and make drivers more accountable for their decisions and behaviour on the road.
By press time, the website had recorded 58,910 visits, 29,386 questionnaires had been completed and 398 individual submissions had been received. In a province with nearly five million residents, the jury is still out on whether that could be characterized as an ideal response, but it is what it is. The wall dropped on participation at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 5.
What we hope to see is a new improved ICBC that will reward conscientious drivers with profoundly deep premium discounts while absolutely slamming reckless, dangerous drivers, who repeatedly cause mayhem on the roads, with punishing premium increases.
Not only would this serve the principles of natural justice but could well remove many drivers who shouldn’t be on the road from the road through prohibitive insurance premium hikes, which clearly they deserve.
Now-Leader
