Drivers without B.C. licences face big ICBC hikes

VICTORIA — B.C. motorists with out-of-province driver’s licences face big increases to insurance rates because their driving history from elsewhere in Canada no longer counts for a discount.

The rate changes, which came into effect Sept. 1, mean a person who insures a vehicle in B.C. but has a driver’s licence from another province is ineligible for a safe driver discount.

Previously, the Insurance Corp. of B.C. would credit a person for a clean driving record accumulated elsewhere in Canada.

“The data from ICBC shows that people who are new drivers to B.C. have more collisions, and the whole rate design piece is around reflecting driver risk,” Attorney General David Eby said.

“So if you are driving on another province’s driver’s licence, people tend to have more collisions. As a result, their rates are higher.”

Drivers can still get an insurance discount for their safe driving record from another province, but to do so they will have to surrender their out-of-province driver’s licence and apply for a B.C. licence.

Once they do so, ICBC will consider up to 15 years of their non-B.C. driving experience for a discount — an increase from eight years before the changes. However, those savings will offset for the first three years with a “new resident” surcharge of 15 per cent on the first year lowering to five per cent in the third year.

“Crash data shows that new residents represent a higher risk for the first three years of driving in B.C.” ICBC said in a statement. “To account for this, the model applies a risk premium in their first three years of driving in B.C.”

Critics say it is overkill. “From the speculation tax to now this, it’s one more nail in the coffin for British Columbia attracting visitors and investors in this province,” said Liberal critic Jas Johal. “These folks may be here for three or five months but they spend money in our province.”

The changes are part of a larger rate redesign by ICBC that sets insurance rates based on driver history and not the history of the vehicle being insured. It has attracted criticism because young and inexperienced drivers are seeing major rate hikes since ICBC deems them to be a higher risk for accidents.

Eby said the best solution for part-time B.C. drivers or those who don’t want to get a B.C. driver’s licence is to work with their insurance broker to buy short-term insurance for the months they want to drive in B.C. and then storage insurance for their time outof-province.