Oct 31, 2013 | News
With trick-or-treaters knocking on doors on tonight and Halloween parties this weekend, drivers are being asked to be extra cautious on the roads and parents are reminded to make a plan to help their children stay safe this Halloween.
“As a parent myself, I know how excited children are about trick-or-treating and their safety on the road may not be top of mind for them,” said Todd Stone, BC’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “That’s why the onus is on us as parents, and as drivers, to make sure children have a fun and safe Halloween.”
“Kids love to have fun on Halloween, and that can mean popping out from behind bushes to scare their friends or wearing the dark costumes of their favourite characters,” said Suzanne Anton, BC’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice. “While this is what makes the night memorable, it’s also what can make them disappear from sight for drivers on the road. Parents can add reflective stickers to their child’s candy bag and drivers should be sure to go very slow, especially through residential neighbourhoods.”
Here are ICBC’s tips for parents and drivers to stay safe:
Tips for parents:
- Dress to be seen: Halloween is about putting on spooky outfits – but that often involves dark colours. A good solution is to buy reflective tape that you can add to the outfit or even to children’s shoes or bags to help them stand out against the dark road.
- The best ghouls see everything: Masks are a key part of many Halloween costumes but it’s important that it doesn’t hinder your child’s ability to see what’s going on around them. Put the mask over your own face to check the visibility and make any necessary adjustments.
- The best ghouls hear everything too: Hearing is just as important as seeing when it comes to safety around roads. Remind your children not to use their cellphone or listen to their iPod.
- Safety in numbers: Walk in numbers to help drivers and others see you and your children. Be sure to have an appropriate number of adults to accompany the children.
- Gone haunting: If your kids are heading out for some trick-or-treating fun without you, help them plan a safe route ahead of time. Consider a route that takes them through a quiet residential area away from busy main roads and parking lots. Remind them to cross streets at designated crossing points.
Tips for drivers:
- A fright’s just around the corner: Drivers need to slow down and expect the unexpected. Children are likely caught up in the excitement of Halloween and may forget the rules of the road, so slow down and be especially alert in residential areas. Limit any distractions in your car so you can focus your full attention on the road.
- The ghouls may not notice you: Children may have very limited visibility while wearing masks and costumes so don’t assume they see you approaching. Always yield to pedestrians – by doing so, you help ensure they cross the road safely.
- Beware of those dark alleys: Surprises often lurk in the darkest of places so enter and exit driveways and alleys slowly and carefully. Watch for little trick-or-treaters when backing up.
- Don’t end on a true scare: If you’re hosting or attending a Halloween party, always make sure there are options for everyone to get home safely, such as designated drivers, transit or taxi numbers on hand.
For more road safety tips, visit icbc.com/road-safety.
Learn more about ILScorp’s ICBC Autoplan Courses for insurance agents.
Sep 25, 2013 | News
It’s quiz time: While driving your SUV, you are involved in a minor, low-speed accident. Fortunately, no one is injured, but there is some damage to your vehicle – more than just a scratch – and maybe to someone else’s car or property.
Do you inform your auto insurance company about it, or keep the matter quiet and pay any repair costs out-of-pocket?
Concerns about auto insurance rate hikes are often the determining factor behind your answer, according to a Consumer Reports study. But there are some important factors to weigh as you determine your best course of action.
When to report the accident:
Seven in 10 auto accidents in the US in 2011 involved at least two vehicles, according to US Department of Transportation data, as did 52 per cent of the car insurance claims filed in recent years by more than 31,000 Consumer Reports subscribers surveyed last summer.
If your accident falls into that category, you should always report it – especially if you may have been at fault – because your insurance coverage protects you against liability for harming others.
Your insurance company and legal considerations might require you to report in such cases, but its also in your own best interest to officially document the facts of the case when you’re involved with a stranger in a potential damage claim situation.
Even if you could work out a private arrangement with another reasonable person to keep the auto insurance companies out of it, repairs often cost more than people anticipate.
For example, in a test by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, when a 2010 Toyota Corolla rear-ended a 2010 Toyota RAV4 at 10 mph, the Corolla had more than $3,800 in front-end damage and the SUV incurred more than $6,000 in rear damage, because of the vehicles’ bumper height mismatch.
The Corolla’s damage looked minor, and the RAV4’s was visually almost imperceptible. In 14 similar trials, the cheapest damage in 14 involving seven vehicle pairings produced almost $3,000 in total losses – six times the typical $500 collision deductible.
In addition injuries to you or other people involved in the accident, may not be apparent immediately. The adrenaline rush accompanying even a low-impact crash can mask injury symptoms, and soft-tissue damage can take 24 to 48 hours to show up. Bogus injury claims are another possibility, which will be difficult for you to prove without help from your insurance company.
If you don’t report your accident immediately and are hit with big costs down the road, your auto insurance company might not cover you because their window of opportunity to investigate the claim has been lost.
When it’s a toss-up
When the damage for an accident occurs only to your property, you have a more difficult choice make.
Filing a claim could produce a tempting payout, but you need to consider the unknown factor of how your claim might impact your premiums.
According to Consumer Reports, consumers won’t know in advance how much their premiums will increase, and for how long, in order to weigh that against a claim payout. But among the survey respondents, seven per cent of claimants said they felt their insurer unfairly raised their premium as a result of a claim.
Most states regulate “chargeable” accidents, which are loss payouts that auto insurers are allowed to count against your driving record in calculating your risk and setting your premiums. The rules vary, but payout thresholds of $500 to $1,000 are typical, which means that accidents costing the insurer less than that can’t raise your rate.
Major insurers, including ICBC Autoplan, will also have their own loyalty programs, which give “accident forgiveness awards,” based on how long you’ve been with the company and your good driving and payment record.
When not to report
If the damage is minor and confined to your own vehicle and property, maybe from backing into your own fence or garage door, you’re typically not required to report it to your insurance company if you choose not to make a claim.
It also doesn’t make economic sense to do so if the repair cost is smaller than or not sufficiently bigger than your collision coverage deductible.
Excerpted from the Buffalo News
B.C. insurance agents – are you looking to enhance your knowledge of ICBC’s Autoplan programs? ILScorp now offers two new Autoplan courses, one designed for newcomers to the auto insurance industry, and another more advanced course. Learn more at ILScorp.com
