Readers write on insurance, sidewalks

Re A rider comes home — to a big shock,

July 18 I read the article by freelance writer Alex Binneboese. It appears he did his research by quoting accident statistics and premium comparisons between different jurisdictions.

However, he failed to compare the insurance products and laws of those jurisdictions. He should have looked into the reasons why Ontario insurance costs more.

First of all, the minimum liability limit in the Province of Ontario is $200,000 and not $1million. He does not realize that Ontario automobile insurers pay a sizable annual assessment to OHIP to help fund the costs of motor vehicle injuries in Ontario. Geico in the U.S. does not have a similar assessment.

The cost of doing business and taxes in Ontario are higher than the U.S., but that’s just a small part.

The largest part of the cost is Basic Accident Benefits. If he looks at his premium breakdown from his policy, he would see that the cost of this one coverage is significant compared to the rest.

Why, you may ask? It’s simple. Motorcycle drivers suffer more significant injuries than drivers of fourwheel vehicles. Also, their odds of having a catastrophic injury is also significant in comparison to a driver of a four-wheel vehicle.

For catastrophic injuries, his policy would provide him up to $1-million worth of medical and rehabilitation benefits, plus an additional $1million in attendant care benefits, loss of income up to $400 a week, housekeeping and home-maintenance expenses, dependent care and caregiver coverage.

So what does he get with his $205 California policy from 12 years ago for first party medical coverage, loss of income and other expenses that he may incur due to an injury? Well, that’s an easy answer: $0.

Also, we in Ontario provide up to his policy limit of $1 million for underinsured/uninsured drivers coverage (OPCF 44 Family Protection endorsement). So when that fourwheel vehicle causes the accident, a victim can sue for compensation above the entitlement from basic accident benefits.

Yes, that’s correct: you can collect your first party medical coverage and sue the guilty party, unlike in Quebec, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. In Alberta and British Columbia, you get some no-fault accident benefit coverage and you can sue, but their limits and coverage are much lower than Ontario’s for catastrophic injuries.

As for the value issue he raised in his article, many insurers will base the collision and comprehensive premium on the list price new and then adjust it by the model year. So if the bike is from 2008, he would not pay the same premium as a bike from 2015, even though they have the same list price.

It should be noted that most vehicles are repaired versus being written-off. The cost to repair a 2015 bike vs. a 2008 bike would be very similar.

I have been an insurance broker for 27 years. Ontario is far from perfect with regards to auto insurance but if you are going to compare products, make sure it’s apples to apples. Larry Simoes, Mississauga

I am an Ontario rider with 13 years’ experience. The stories I could tell regarding the experiences I’ve had with Ontario insurance companies would curdle the milk in your cereal.

I’ve been telling my friends for years that we riders in the GTA pay the highest premiums in the world. The question is, what are we going to do about it?

Besides going down to Queen’s Park en masse, burning our insurance policies in a giant bonfire, then going on an insurance-less protest drive through Toronto’s streets, what can we do?

How do we stop the pure, in-yourface, greed of Ontario’s insurance companies? The Ontario government’s unfulfilled promise to reduce premiums by 15 per cent is an absolute joke when we are paying up to10 times what other riders are paying in similar jurisdictions. Michael Smith, Scarborough

Thanks for the article on motorcycle insurance. It is a cause of great frustration for me.

I get some of the best rates going as I’m in my 50s and have been contin- uously insured since 16 with no accidents or tickets.

But I fear we are losing a generation of riders because what was once a great, cheap, form of transportation has been nanny-stated out of the realm of the possible.

Imagine that if only a small percentage of motorists got out of their cars and onto bikes, gridlock would disappear and this is far more practical than dedicated bicycle lanes and giant infrastructure projects. Yet both the city and the province show no imagination or understanding of the issue. Bill Watson, Port Hope, Ont.

Re Bicycles on sidewalks, Norris

McDonald’s column, July 18 With the exception of a short stretch right downtown, it’s perfectly legal to ride a bicycle on sidewalks in Burlington and has been for at least the 35 years I’ve lived here.

Is Burlington the only community in Ontario where this is allowed?

Burlington is very bicycle friendly with an abundance of bike paths and relaxed rules encouraging their use. That the (sidewalk) practice is allowed apparently without conflict with pedestrians (all that’s required is a little common sense; i.e., keep the speed down when passing those walking) should provide ample argument for other communities to follow suit. Peter Marie, Burlington I had a good laugh over someone’s suggestion that cyclists should be allowed to ride on the sidewalks. Here in Brampton, it seems to already be unofficial policy.

If there are any cycle paths, I don’t know where they are. I now live in the downtown area and here, cyclists happily ride along the sidewalks and we hapless pedestrians are expected to just get out of their way.

I turn 80 next week and so far am still able to walk very easily, but my biggest dread is being knocked over by one of these cyclists and ending up with broken legs, hips, etc., not to mention having to shell out for some expensive dental work.

There are signs on Main St. indicating no cycling on sidewalks but no one takes any notice of them. Joan Hutchins, Brampton