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crystalsm crystalsm:

After using that calculator and putting in 0 as the safety rating, my quote went up to 97.32 though it could be with all discounts included, as lily mentioned.

That's what you pay if you move to SK with zero history. That is also what you pay if you are a brand new, 16 year old driver.

I'm trying to open your eyes residents of BC!

(I live in BC right now, so they aren't MY rates, they just used to be. )

Tell your MP. I've certainly let mine know what I think of ICBC. Bunch of crooks.

Here's why I think the ICBC system is retarded. I'll start by comparing it with two opposite systems that I've had experience with; Saskatchewan which is 100% government run and not for profit, and Alberta which is 100% private companies competing.

In SK, as stated, SGI is entirely not for profit. On top of that, they have a kind of "no fault" claims system that cuts lawyers out completely. This means the only cost is administrative and makes for some low premiums.

In Alberta, it's wide open. Private companies compete and drive each other's prices down. This system also works very well. You can buy from a million different packages from about as many companies so you never end up paying for extra insurance that you don't want, and you can shop around for the lowest price.

BC has, as far as I can tell, taken the WORST of both systems and combined them. Like SK, you are stuck with one plan, you can't shop around, ICBC gets a monopoly, you HAVE to buy from them. But unlike SGI, ICBC turns a profit. Just like any private company in Alberta, ICBC competes on the open market with sellers of additional coverage. This means they can jack up the price of their basic coverage as hight as they like to supplement their other products and make them more 'compedative'.

Why not? You can't legally buy from anybody else.

The government makes you buy from one company, and that company is allowed to turn a profit. That is so retarded it boggles my mind. Somebody correct me if I'm missing something. Please.

They either need to go the direction of SK or Alberta (two opposites that work very well) but this halfway in between crap is not working. Not to the consumers benifiet anyway.

This should be a BC election issue. A fairly big one.

As someone who has sold auto insurance in Ontario and currently sells it in BC I have a somewhat unique experience in both a government run system and a total private system. I have to say the government run system is far better for the consumer and here's why:

1. First off, to try and comparte rates between two different jurisdictions is ludicrous at best. Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. do not have the same population, population density, geography, climate, legislation regarding insurance or crime rates;
2. With ICBC vehicle registration, vehicle licensing and insurance are all done at the brokers office. In Ontario (I'm assuming it's the same in Alberta) vehicle insurance and licensing/registration are done at two different loactions. This is a bigger hassle for the consumer as everyone is going to two or three different locations to renew their plate which results in large line ups, as opposed to many dozens of locations. Also the consumer can establish a relationshipn with their broker and receive information and service personal to them. I doubt you could say the same at a Ministry of Transportation office. The consumer is also free to renew their ICBC insurance at ANY Autoplan broker in the province;
3. Being a crown corporation they have a higher social responsibility to pay claims. Private insurers have no such calling. I have seen private insurers deny claims for the stupidest of reasons. Since ICBC answers directly the government through the BC Utilities Commission they are under greater scrutiny not to screw around. This does not mean that ICBC will pay claims that they are not legally required to. Hence in Tarektioban's case ICBC is not required to pay his claim since he is operating a vehicle illegally (you cannot transfer a plate to a vehicle you just purchased unless the vehicle the plate came from has been sold, even then you only have 10 days);
4. Because ICBC answers to government, they cannot instill rules which go against the greater good. In Onatrio insurers can charge higher rates for drivers under 25 and for unmarried males under 25. ICBC cannot use age, gender or marital status to determine rates;
5. Since vehicle insurance and licensing/registration are done at the same location it is easier to determine whether valid insurance exists prior to licensing a vehicle. In Ontario one purchases insurance, and then takes their proof of insurance (usually in the form of the pink liability card) to the ministry of transportation, who then issues/renews a plate based on this information. This leads to many, many cases of fraud where someone will go into a broker's office to buy insurance, go on a monthly pay plan, gets the liablity card and goes down to renew a plate, and then doesn't pay the remaining installment allowing their insurance to be cancelled. The worker at the ministry, the police or the public in general have no way to tell the insurance has been cancelled. Then when it's time to renew they do the same crap with another company. In BC if you miss a payment, your insurance stays valid but you go off the payment plan and you end up owing the balance. When you try and renew the plate the agent sees that you owe for the previous policy term and you must pay that off that balance before renewing the plate (plus you cannot go back on the payment plan for two years). If you try and drive after the policy has expired everyone, including the police, will instantly know this since the decal on the rear licence plate indicates the day the the vehicle licensing AND insurance expire (they both end on the same day). This is why in Ontario it is estimated that 15-20% of the vehicles on the road are uninsured. In BC that figure is 1%.
6. ICBC does not figure in a profit loading when determining rates, unlike private auto insurers. If ICBC does make a profit they will either save the money as a reserve to protect future catastrophic claims (thereby protecting rates from spikes in really bad years) or they will send rebate cheques to drivers with good records like they did in 1998 ($47 million rebated), 2000 ($218 million rebated) and 2005 ($100 million rebated). I doubt Onatrio, Alberta or anywhere with a 100% private setup can claim the same;

I would write more but my hand is literally cramping up. Need a break.

The biggest problem I've had with ICBC was the private agents who sell it. Twice I discovered they'd put my truck in a different 'rate class',
So they could earn a couple bucks more commission!
and I had to go back an get it corrected. Saving a couple hundred bucks each time, but of course no refund for the time I'd been ripped off.

Once we ere on the scene of an accident up-country and the cops asked us to ferry the lightly injured to the hospital. A couple weeks later ICBC called and told us they had a Good Samaritan Program and the cops told them about us. They sent us a claim to get our car professionally cleaned inside and some bloodied sleeping bags and blankets laundered.

Dave Barrett: because of ICBC a lot of us didn't have to choose between car insurance or tuition. We know how that choice turns out when you're a 20 yr old male!

Online petition calling for competition in BC.

Well, I just got back from out of town and noticed this and no, I haven't read every post yet (and probably won't because I'm lazy )

I can't see BC's system being worse than Alberta's though. At the moment I have a good rate, $1800 for two fairly new trucks with comprehensive but that's with both my wife and I haveing 5 star ratings. Not to mention it wasn't all ways that way. I still remember paying $3200 a year just before the insurance reforms because I had a lapse in coverage.

Even now I think $1800 is fairly high and those rates might go up because the soft tissue caps were over turned.

they need to evaluate the young drivers program.....

isnt it obvious to everyone why the 1 passenger rule is in place. its obviously to prevent carpooling and to force more licensure. if 5 people aged 17-20 wanted to go see a movie. it would take 3 seperate vehicles....its funny how they use carbon emissions as a motive to do something when it suits them but forget about the environment when a profit can be made? but when the environment can get the biggest profit all of a sudden emissions become important again.

its a waste of fuel and money and causes pollution to take 3 vehicles where only 1 should be used. forgot to mention that 3 times the licensure means 3 times the car sales....so you can basically dissect the new drivers program to have money generating policies under the guise of safety or what have you.

its also ridiculous how the simplist of offenses like a no N sticker (maybe youre using someone elses car) can put you on probation where the next offense puts you immediately on prohibition. because basicaly any 2 offenses no matter how many tally up to the 6 point limit...and they dont erase until you upgrade to class 5

Yeah... pretty sure the one passenger rule is in place to limit the amount of distractions the new driver has.

Having four other passengers makes it harder to concentrate on the road than one passenger, in most cases. It's a safety thing, and I'm actually glad it's in place.

If you live in a larger town/city, all five people could pitch in for a cab, eliminating the need for three separate vehicles.

As for the N sticker, just steal one from someone else's car. N swiping is a vicious cycle.

I had my N for a couple of years and was never pulled over with it. Actually, I've never been pulled over... ever. Knock on wood.

We can change that
*makes a phonecall or two*

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