ICBC has announced that it will be making changes to its policies regarding when cyclists, pedestrians and other active transportation users could be charged with damages in the event of a crash.
ICBC says that it will no longer seek recovery for costs from pedestrians or cyclists in events where they have suffered a severe or catastrophic injury or if there is a fatality.
The other instance that ICBC will not seek recovery for costs is when the organization must determine liability as 50/50 because there is not enough evidence to determine what happened.
“Government and ICBC listened to the concerns raised from cycling advocates and Mr. Bolliger about the decision to bill him for vehicle damage after he was involved in a collision,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “The previous approach was not reflective of the changes we’ve made to auto insurance in British Columbia and that needed to be fixed.”
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ICBC also outlines that claims involving a cyclist or pedestrian who has suffered a non-severe injury will be carefully considered by a committee of experts. With these incidents being carefully looked at by a committee, ICBC suggests that the instances of when it may seek recovery from cyclists or pedestrians will be much more limited under these adjustments in policies.
“We are committed to continuing to improve and this claim highlighted a situation where improvements needed to be made, and we are now making those changes,” said Nicolas Jimenez, President and CEO of ICBC. “Our new care-based model is just one year old and we will keep looking for ways to improve on how we deliver Enhanced Care to British Columbians.”
In order to make the above changes to ICBC’s policies, the insurance corporation says it met with the BC Cycling Coalition and Hub Cycling to receive their feedback on how the changes better meet the needs of people cycling and other vulnerable road users.
“We feel the changes are a move in the right direction to support cyclists and vulnerable road users across the province, and we thank ICBC for recognizing the issues and being open to listening to the ongoing concerns of our members,” said Mike Koski, Executive Director, BC Cycling Coalition. “By listening and taking action, positive change was made within just a matter of weeks.”
ICBC says that any cyclist or pedestrian injured in a crash with a vehicle is entitled to receive all of the care and recovery benefits they need under Enhanced Care, regardless of whether they were responsible for the crash or not.
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