Driving Public

With public insurance, you know what you’re getting. The choices are clear and if you ever have to make a claim, the process is easy to follow –especially since it’s the same insurer for both parties. You don’t have to try to figure out dozens of confusing, intentionally complicated plans from private insurers. And you don’t have to put up with delays while they pass the buck between them.

Car insurance isn’t just about your vehicle. It’s about protecting you and the people you care about. Public car insurance provides that.

With private car insurance, companies are driven by profit and have every incentive to cut corners and give you less. The less they pay out, the more they make.

Rising car insurance rates in private insurance provinces mean more drivers rolling the dice… and hitting the road either with no insurance or inadequate coverage.

That’s dangerous for everyone. If you — or the person who hits you — don’t have enough coverage, you’ll face huge out-of-pocket costs.

When private insurance companies calculate your premiums, they don’t stop at things like your driving record. They also factor in your age, gender, and even your marital status - making you pay more based on who you are, not how you drive.

Sonnet, a private insurance company, released a cross-country comparison that shows drivers in provinces with private insurance pay, on average, seven per cent more than those with public insurance. No wonder drivers in BC, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec aren’t in any hurry to give up public car insurance!

Contrary to claims from the corporate private insurance lobby, BC doesn’t have the highest premiums in Canada — not by a long shot. The evidence ( from a private insurance company’s study! ) shows that the average premium in Ontario (a private-insurance province) is nearly $500 more than in British Columbia.

With private corporate insurance giants, your premiums go to head offices far from British Columbia… even outside Canada. But with public insurance, the nearly 6,000 jobs and investments stay in British Columbia. The brokers, claims adjusters and administrators are your neighbours — and profits get reinvested in our communities.

Private insurance has one goal above all else: making a profit for corporate shareholders. There’s nothing wrong with that. But it means your needs are often the last thing on their minds. So they cut back on service, and they often try hard not to pay claims.

With public insurance, you know what you’re getting. The choices are clear and if you ever have to make a claim, the process is easy to follow - especially since it’s the same insurer for both parties. You don’t have to try to figure out dozens of confusing, intentionally complicated plans from private insurers. And you don’t have to put up with delays while they pass the buck between them.