Private Car Insurance:
Delayed Claims
Denied Coverage.
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BC drivers deserve fair, reliable, and affordable car insurance. But we’ve just been through 16 years of mismanagement of ICBC under the old provincial government. When they drained 1.2 billion dollars from ICBC, they forced the insurer to raise rates to pay for it. And we’re all still paying for it.
It’s no wonder people are frustrated. Giant private insurance corporations sense an opening. They think this is their chance to take public insurance away from BC for good.
But when you look closely, there’s just no question: Our made-in-BC public insurance system works a lot better for drivers than private car insurance.
The new government has started to get ICBC back on track. And there’s a lot more that can be done to fix public insurance – and bring rates down.

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.

Public means
security and protection.
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.

With private auto, up to 20%
of drivers are uninsured.
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.

Private car insurance
discriminates based on age,
gender and marital status.
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.

Even the private
companies admit
it costs more than public.
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!

If private is cheaper,
why does it cost Ontario
drivers $480 more?
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.

Public keeps jobs, profits
and investments in BC.
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 focuses
on profits, not people.
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.

Public insurance is simple
and easy to navigate.
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.
In private car insurance systems, up to 20% of drivers are uninsured.
As car insurance rates continue to rise in private insurance jurisdictions, with many insurance companies even refusing to provide coverage, drivers are taking a chance by hitting the roads either with no insurance or inadequate levels of coverage. That’s not only dangerous for those drivers, but dangerous for others. If you, or the person who hits you, don’t have enough coverage, you’ll face huge out-of-pocket costs.
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Private car insurance discriminates based on age, gender and marital status
Discriminating on those factors is one of the ways private insurance companies make such big profits. But it can mean a big hit for drivers.
One comparison found a young male driver in Ontario would pay $240 more per year than a woman his age with the same driving record.
In BC, your premiums don’t depend on your age, gender or marital status. And if you’re a good driver with a good record, you pay less — period.
Private car insurance costs more
The insurance companies know it, too. One study published by a private insurance company showed the average
premium for drivers in provinces with private-only insurance is seven per cent higher than in provinces with
public insurance. And in Ontario, with the most private insurance customers in Canada, it’s 76 per cent higher!
Private car insurance takes money out of BC… and out of Canada
With publicly-owned car insurance like ICBC, your premium dollar stays in our province, creating jobs and helping improve road and highway safety. But with giant private insurance companies, that money flows out of the province — and often out of Canada, into head offices in the U.S. and Europe.
Brought to you by front-line workers in public auto insurance in British Columbia, represented by MoveUP, the Movement of United Professionals.