Encouraging sign from Autoplan?

[fishslapper]

I don't know why they allow a monopoly to exist !! Icbc rates are crazy ! Where i lived before i had full coverage on 2 vehicles nose to tail plus tons of extra coverage and paid towing etc...etc... All for $130 /month. THat company gave a discount for multiple vehicles ! Since you can't be driving 2 vehicles at once. I asked icbc about this and i got laughed at. "Oh no" they said... "it makes no difference if you had 5 cars you have to pay $1500/year for each one" ...
I have a 40% discount for 10 years with no claims or accidents and i still pay $1400 for a 16 year old van !!


Sorry..........for the rant ....

I still say that it is the 17 year olds in the skylines giving rhd's a bad name. Delica's can hardly get out of there own way.. Very strong and safe...
I hope this data on rhd is not only rhd specific but also vehicle specific.. NOt to reduce rates but to get some real data to show what is really going on.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Marshall McLuhan had some very poignant observations about statistics:

"Statistics to a cause are much like a lamp post to a drunk: Often used more for propping up than for enlightenment. (Paraphrased)"

"Today the tyrant rules not by club or fist, but, disguised as a market researcher, he shepherds his flocks in the ways of utility and comfort."

“The more the data banks record about each one of us, the less we exist.”

“Canada is the only country in the world that knows how to live without an identity”

“Diaper backward spells repaid. Think about it.”...smiles

Falco.

[mararmeisto]

I got Gumdrop's renewal paperwork from ICBC yesterday, so I'll see what happens. A year already! Where has the time gone?

The only other person who has driven Gumdrop is my Mom, who agrees that the visibility is so good that it doesn't matter where you sit.

...laura

Interested to see how you make out.

Point to ponder: are they asking you (over in Vancouver-area) this question due to the concentration of RHD vehicles in the area, or will they ask me the same question over here in Victoria? Or in Prince Rupert? Or Revelstoke? Know what I mean?

[mriguy]

Point to ponder: are they asking you (over in Vancouver-area) this question due to the concentration of RHD vehicles in the area, or will they ask me the same question over here in Victoria? Or in Prince Rupert? Or Revelstoke? Know what I mean?

i'm pretty sure ICBC wants to know about ALL deli's (or more specifically RHD vehicles) that are insured by them....i live in Victoria, but went to a broker in Vancouver to get insurance for my Deli, so i could take it home that day, and it didn't seem to matter what my address was, simply the fact that it was a RHD vehicle. When I inquired how this would affect my rate, she replied: "..it won't...yet..." "it's merely a way to keep stats...because they've become so pervasive on the streets"

hmmmm....

[konadog]

...When I inquired how this would affect my rate, she replied: "..it won't...yet..." "it's merely a way to keep stats...because they've become so pervasive on the streets"

hmmmm....

OK, I'm suspicious of The Man too, but really, is it unreasonable that they would want to collect stats on vehicles that there are questions about? WE know they are safe but can't prove it any more than the anti-RHD people can prove they are dangerous. How many RHD vehicles are out there? How often are they involved in crashes? What was the cause of those crashes? All legit questions to ask and ones that can only be answered for sure by collecting real stats.

Aside note - a recent experience with ICBC: I popped into our local claims centre to make a claim on the cracked windshield (rats, we'll lose the Japanese stickers ). After doing the paper work the clerk came outside to view the bus. Just as I was pulling around into the lot to meet her one of the inspectors came out for a smoke. Looking very anal and cross the T's and dot the I's-ish he was eyeing 'ole Hazel up with a bit of a suspicious look. Leaned in for a close up of the mirrors and had a real good look at the headlamps. I asked if I needed to do anything about the inspection decal that would be lost with the old windshield and the clerk didn't know. Inspector guy spoke for the first time suggesting that if I was concerned I could cut the decal from the old glass and pop in in the glove-box to show cops if needed, but not to be concerned, 'cause "once it's approved it's approved." The clerk was then very apologetic about having to scratch a tiny number in the corner of the windshield I am about to toss and commiserated over the loss of my cool Japanese stickers - "You've got two years to change the glass, have a nice day!" No complaints from me, that day anyway....

[marsgal42]

OK, I'm suspicious of The Man too, but really, is it unreasonable that they would want to collect stats on vehicles that there are questions about? WE know they are safe but can't prove it any more than the anti-RHD people can prove they are dangerous. How many RHD vehicles are out there? How often are they involved in crashes? What was the cause of those crashes? All legit questions to ask and ones that can only be answered for sure by collecting real stats.

My sentiments exactly. Real data will provide real answers.

I just can't see the accident rate for Delicas being significant. They are slow, sturdy, and simple to repair. Their visibility is so good that driver position is a non-issue.

Just for fun I tried one of the on-line insurance rate web pages, finding one for England, a country with horror stories about insurance rates. Plugging in my information, except for a move from Burnaby to West Ealing, they quoted me rates from £500 to £600 from different insurers, about the same as what ICBC charge me. I tried a quote on a DB9. It had more digits (£2500 a year), but was still remarkably reasonable. I think my age, gender and profession are working for me here.

...laura

[Green1]

I just can't see the accident rate for Delicas being significant. They are slow, sturdy, and simple to repair. Their visibility is so good that driver position is a non-issue.

but will they look at it being a delica, or just an RHD...

[FalcoColumbarius]

This is why we have to pay attention. This is a good reason for us having a club, we communicate.

I was driving down Lonsdale the other morning and I saw these two COPs walking back, I presume, from Starbucks to the local constabulary. They were cajoling, with smiles on their faces when one of them saw me coming and suddenly his face completely changed from happy to a major scowl as he stared me down. I got the impression that he thought the Miss Lil' Bitchi was responsible for most of the traffic deaths in the world but so far he wasn't able to prove it! Okay, maybe my imagination is embellishing, but I certainly got the impression that I had been marked or mentally tagged. I wonder if this guy is the "Mr Personality" that Garyo was talking about.

Comments get made about people and things that are later proved false, but are still sited as a fact against the issue many years later. Maybe we ought to fight fire with fire and have Public Relation sessions in parks with educational aspects ~ using the japanimation from the manual. Rescue the mayor's dog and get it in the paper or something.

I was talking with Sasquatch Hunter about making a ten minute documentary, putting it up on You Tube and sending a copy of it to the CBC to see if we could get funded for a one hour documentary to get aired on TV. Emphasizing the safety aspects and abilities of these buses & their drivers (Mystery Machine's Gloucester flood story & Green 1's rescue of the equestrian story come to mind). Looking into the environmental benefits of being able to burn friendlier fuels, &c..

My two bits. Falco.

[EricN]

FYI, In the interest of stating true facts and not popular folklore, ICBC loses money on insurance premiums. It is all the other business dealings and investments that keep them in the black.

[marsgal42]

I just renewed Gumdrop's insurance, and, as expected, was asked about driving position.

With first-hand knowledge of this, I sent the following message to CBC Vancouver's Go Public web page:

Last year, ICBC published a report on the crash risk of right-hand drive vehicles on B.C. roads, but it is only now that they are actually recording the driving position of vehicles. I just renewed the insurance on my Mitsubishi Delica, and have now seen this first-hand.

This is backwards: I was always taught that you gather your data first, then you draw your conclusions. ICBC have caused a lot of trouble for a lot of people, and I can't help but wonder what game they're playing.

...laura

[jessef]

I just can't see the accident rate for Delicas being significant. They are slow, sturdy, and simple to repair. Their visibility is so good that driver position is a non-issue.

but will they look at it being a delica, or just an RHD...

Had nothing to do with Delica's.

It's ALL RHD they are logging.

On a side note, my base insurance rate went up $18/yr but my comprehensive went down $140/yr for my Delica.

That's a good thing.l

[Profister]

While renewing my insurance I had a "pleasure" talking to two Autoplan agent. I replied 'why' on their question 'is it an RHD vehicle?' and got similar answers: 'ICBC is running a study on RHD vehicles crash rate', 'your insurance is not going up this time but might go up in the future'. I told both that if ICBC wants to prove anything it will having enough money to do so (to make more money of course). The fact that I drive both of my RHD and LHD cars did not cause any reaction not mention the fact of paying 2 insurances.
After that I met the ICBC insider who happened to be my friend and he confirmed that this 'RHD vehicles study' is one of a bunch of other projects aimed to increase the profit.
Have a good sleep.
Sergiy.

[mararmeisto]

...[h]ad nothing to do with Delica's.

It's ALL RHD they are logging.

Actually, it's all imports: they asked me if my 1988 VW Rabbit was a right-hand drive.

I don't mind the asking if it will clear up some things from that bogus report we got last time: insured submitted a claim, therefore insured was in an accident and other silly things like that.

[g_man1972]

If this does go through I hope they don't just group all RHD vehicles together. Like someone driving a Dodge Caravan vs someone driving a Dodge Stealth probably have different rates right? So someone driving a Skyline should pay more than someone driving a Delica i would think.

But maybe that is too logical

[mararmeisto]

If this does go through I hope they don't just group all RHD vehicles together. Like someone driving a Dodge Caravan vs someone driving a Dodge Stealth probably have different rates right? So someone driving a Skyline should pay more than someone driving a Delica i would think.

But maybe that is too logical

From ICBC's own pages, this is how your premium is set:

• -Rate classes - What you use your vehicle for: business, driving to work or school, pleasure, etc.
  -Where you live - If you drive where there's heavy traffic, you have a higher chance of being involved in a crash, so your insurance costs more. That said, who knows exactly where they'll be driving every day? So for non-commercial vehicles, your territory is decided by where you park your vehicle when it's not in use.
  -Your claim record - If you have a long record of claim-free driving, you save money through our Claim-Rated Scale and RoadStar savings. If you cause crashes, then you pay a higher premium.
  -The vehicle you drive - Cars that are expensive to repair, cars that tend to be involved in crashes, cars that are stolen more often than others: all cost more to insure when you buy optional insurance.
  -Additional coverage - What type and how much optional coverage you choose to buy will obviously affect your premiums.

I suspect the first part of the fourth item will be the premier deciding factor in our case...