Hypothetical question re: ICBC

[SKVN]

So what would happen if all of a sudden ICBC decided to ban RHD's? Would owner's be grandfathered or would we pretty much lose any value in our vehicles? Right now this is my only hesitation with purchasing a Delica. I don't want to purchase one to find out all of a sudden I am stuck with a lemon and out however many dollars I buy one for. This has only recently become a concern since ICBC is now tracking RHD's.

[loki]

So what would happen if all of a sudden ICBC decided to ban RHD's? Would owner's be grandfathered or would we pretty much lose any value in our vehicles? Right now this is my only hesitation with purchasing a Delica. I don't want to purchase one to find out all of a sudden I am stuck with a lemon and out however many dollars I buy one for. This has only recently become a concern since ICBC is now tracking RHD's.

I think they know if they decided to ban all RHD including ones already registered they would find themselves faced with a class action lawsuit.

[Jonny5ive]

They would have a great deal of businesses very upset.

Not to mention all of us, and I'm not rich enough to allow them to cancel my insurance without a fight.

Either way, I'm not worried.

[stubblebut]

If they ban RHD outright there would be a few businesses that would suffer. Eg. many Postal vehicles and garbage trucks are RHD. I've talked to ICBC and the response I've received is that more study is required into the safety of RHD and damages awarded should a RHD vehicle be in an accident/stolen/damaged.

The only thing that ICBC is proposing at this time is a possible, I say again, possible premium for owning a RHD. What that premium is going to be no one seems to know although there is a ton of speculation on the subject.

[FalcoColumbarius]

The problem with ICBC banning RHDs would be the contravening of a few Canadian charters. Which in turn would cause the public to study the Canadian Charter Of Rights & Freedoms, the Canadian Bill Of Rights, the Constitution Of Canada and likely the British North America Act to find out how they can respond ~ and in doing so the people of Canada would discover other things in said charters that did not jive with what is commonly accepted in today's society. Also, there are currently (last I heard) seven counts of fraud laid against ICBC for writing off vehicles that have been in accidents; repairing them with also turning back the clock; then reselling them out the back door.

So I wouldn't think it would be prudent on their behalf to ban them. We just have to be responsible courteous drivers and set a good example by not wigging out when cut off by those rude LH drivers .

Falco.

[mararmeisto]

I don't know about the CCRF or the Constitution or the BNA, but what I do know about what is said about RHD in legislation is that it says NOTHING - the Motor Vehicle Safety Act says nothing about where the steering wheel is supposed to be placed (in fact, I don't think it even says 'wheel' but 'controls'). The vehicle has to have controls, but it doesn't indicate where they are to be located in/on the vehicle.

The only thing it does say is that IF the driver is on the right side of the vehicle, there are to be electrical or mechanical signaling systems present (because the driver cannot indicate with their arm). I would imagine the same could be said about CD vehicles (centre-drive, vehicles with only a single seat in the front, two in the rear), and given the interest with some of these 'different' vehicles we're bringing over from Japan, I would say it's not too long before somebody brings over one of those.

[FalcoColumbarius]

The only thing it does say is that IF the driver is on the right side of the vehicle, there are to be electrical or mechanical signaling systems present (because the driver cannot indicate with their arm).

I remember when I drove my Plymouth Voyager I used to signal a lot with my arm... but now that I'm sitting in the cockpit of my Delica ~ I'm above all that and more laid back... smiles.

Falco.

[mararmeisto]

...I remember when I drove my Plymouth Voyager I used to signal a lot with my arm...[/color]

Plymouth Voyager? Wasn't that because the signals were broken? What with it being a Plymouth and all?

[The Pinkfingers]

...I remember when I drove my Plymouth Voyager I used to signal a lot with my arm...[/color]

Plymouth Voyager? Wasn't that because the signals were broken? What with it being a Plymouth and all?

Erm, I don't think those are the "signals" he's talking about...

[mararmeisto]

Is this another one of those delicus canibis conversations?

[marsgal42]

So what would happen if all of a sudden ICBC decided to ban RHD's? Would owner's be grandfathered or would we pretty much lose any value in our vehicles? Right now this is my only hesitation with purchasing a Delica. I don't want to purchase one to find out all of a sudden I am stuck with a lemon and out however many dollars I buy one for. This has only recently become a concern since ICBC is now tracking RHD's.

They can't. Ditch the FUD and buy your Delica. Do you have any documentation on this subject? Rumours don't count.

Besides, what will ICBC do if their numbers match the experience of Delica owners, i.e. that RHD is irrelevant?

...laura

[The Pinkfingers]

So what would happen if all of a sudden ICBC decided to ban RHD's? Would owner's be grandfathered or would we pretty much lose any value in our vehicles? Right now this is my only hesitation with purchasing a Delica. I don't want to purchase one to find out all of a sudden I am stuck with a lemon and out however many dollars I buy one for. This has only recently become a concern since ICBC is now tracking RHD's.

They can't. Ditch the FUD and buy your Delica. Do you have any documentation on this subject? Rumours don't count.

Besides, what will ICBC do if their numbers match the experience of Delica owners, i.e. that RHD is irrelevant?

...laura

Well... they could in theory, with a little help from the government and a re-vamped MVA.

But I hear alot of fear-mongering among RHD owners about ICBC and banning RHD. Most of it is, actually, fear-mongering with not alot of basis in fact (as Marsgal points out). Buy a Delica and enjoy it.

IF they did ban them, I'm sure there would be an exception for work vehicles like postal vans and garbage trucks, b/c those two would raise hell and have deep pockets for lawyers.

However, that being said, I highly doubt they would. At the worst I suspect they would raise the premiums for RHD vehicles, especially if they find they are more "accident-prone". I know they are not, and so do other deli owners. I know it's the driver not the vehicle that is accident prone. But ICBC just will look at accident rates for RHD vs LHD and use that for raising premiums (IF it turns out they have more accidents).

If anything, I would be more concerned about the desire of some to raise the age of import from 15 to 25 years, like the US. THAT would have to be grandfathered in. But it's all the more reason to buy now.

[MardyDelica]

hi, i don think icbc would do this thing, the reason they want to know i guess is to check if the car is RHD, but if they ban RHD vehicle all postal , garbage, recycling & RHD collector car will be all ban.
they cannot excuse the garbage truck , postal truck, as we the tax payer own the crown corp icbc. icbc is not private so they cannot just to this.
as you , me & other member here is the one paying the CEO & worker in icbc, not the provincial government.
Cheers;

[mararmeisto]

If I remember anything of ICBC's make-it-give-us-the-results-we-want report it did little to indicate that more RHD vehicles were causing accidents or were in accidents because they were RHD - all it did prove was that RHD vehicle owners submitted more claims than other similarly-aged vehicles. That was of course, if they could even determine if the vehicle was RHD - which it seemed a number of them weren't necessarily.

Of course, that was IF you could read through all the bullsh1t they called data to try to prove their supposition.

My only worry, as before, is why are they so interested now. RHD still only make up a small portion of the vehicles on our roads and as I've said before: "RHD vehicles don't kill people or cause damage in collisions, bad drivers do."

I'm more worried about the yahoo I was driving behind the other day: probably about my size, riding a 50cc scooter, but that wasn't why it was weaving all over the lane; had his little dog in a barely-secured basket on the back of the seat behind him standing on the edge of the basket nervously from time-to-time, but that probably wasn't why he was weaving all over his lane; helmet strap not secured, slapping him in the face, but probably not the cause of his weaving all over the lane in front of me; no, it was probably the coffee cup in his left hand, which he was drinking from time-to-time that was conducive to his weaving all over the lane in front of me. Or not.

But I doubt rates for 50cc scooters is going to go up any time soon.

[marsgal42]

I might also add that the public, at least in my experience, are on our side. Not that many people seem to have seen a Delica up close. When they do...

"What a neat van!"

"What's it like to drive?"

"Can I get one?"

...laura