The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) plans to test a pilot program early next year that could help lower the auto insurance rates of those who participate.
According to Attorney General David Eby, as many as 200 volunteers were selected to take part in the program, which involves the use of on-board tracking hardware and a smartphone app to detect and discourage drivers from using their phones while on the road.
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“ICBC has gone through a public call for technologies, they’ve evaluated those technologies and they are identifying one or two of the best contenders for a pilot which we expect to be rolling out in the months ahead, in early 2018,” the attorney general said Monday.
“I’m really excited about that, especially for new drivers, to really drive home to them to establish those good behaviours of not using their phones while driving.”
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ICBC’s pilot program comes as the insurer continues to address the issue of distracted driving – an issue which now contributes to a fourth of all fatal crashes, or 78 fatalities, per year.
Eby on Monday also said that he would designate distracted driving a high-risk behavior and raise the penalty for drivers who get two tickets within three years by an additional $744.
“The increase in fines we hope will send a message that distracted driving is on par with impaired driving and excessive speeding in terms of the death and destruction it causes,” he explained. “And we want people to stop doing it. Period.”
Vancouver Sun reported that the additional fines will come into effect March 01, 2018.
“This is part of a broader suite of measures we are looking at in terms of ensuring good drivers pay less and bad drivers pay more,” Eby added. “There’s work we’re doing right now on the whole points system for drivers generally in the province so it better takes into consideration people’s driving behaviours in terms of the insurance rates they pay.”
Currently, motorists with their first ticket for distracted driving have to pay a fine of $368, on top of four penalty points on an insurance record. A second ticket increases “driver penalty points” premiums to $520.
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