~ AUTOMOTIVE

August peak month for Injuries

Ken
Hardie
JERE,

AUTOTOPIC

ICBC’S CLAIMS éstatistics
for the first half of 1992 are
out, and results tell a ‘‘good
news/bad news’’ story.

To the end of June, ICBC
handled 430,854 new claims. As
high as that number might be, it’s
almost 16,000 fess than for the
fiest half of 1991, The big drop
wa: in collision and comprehen-
sive claims and for damages caus-
ed by ICBC-insured motorists to
someone else’s property.

Gn the other hand, claims for
jnjuries are running slightly ahead
of last year. Statistics show that
injury claims are, on average,
about 20 times more expensive to
settle than damage claims.

What does this mean for future
Autoplan premiums? It’s a bit too
early to tell, as the work to exam-
ine trends and make forecasts for
1993 usually takes place in the
August-through-October period.

Given that August also repre-
sents the peak month for injuries
due to traffic accidents, each and
every one of us can wield a great
deal of influence on these upcom-
ing deliberations, simply by pay-
ing extra care and attention to our
driving.

On One crime front, again the
news is mixed. While most
crime-related claims costs are
running ahead of last year, the

Deadline draws
near for Clean
Air car lottery

THERE ARE only a few
weeks left to purchase tick-
ets for a chance to win one
of 50 air-friendly prizes in
the British Columbia Lung
Association’s (BCLA) Clean
Air Classics Lottery.

The grand prize is a 1955 Ford
Thunderbird, which runs on
cleaner-burning natural gas, and
49 non-polluting mountain bikes
will also be given away.

The lottery, which runs until
Monday, Aug. 31, raises money
for medical research in B.C. Tick-
ets cost $10 each or three for $25
and can be ordered by calling
BCLA at 731-4961 or toll-free
outside the Lower Mainland to
1-800-665-LUNG.

The prizes were selected with
the environment and _ public
education in mind. Say organizers,
the cleaner-burning natural gas
auto drives home the fact that
alternative fuels can cut vehicle
emissions that cause 60% of the
province’s air pollution. The 49
Norco mountain bike prizes are an
even more natural way to help
clear the air.

The project’s sponsors are
Yorkton Securities, BCTV, Norco,
Overwaiiea/Save-On-Foods, and
BC Gas.

Marking its 85th anniversary
this year, BCLA is a voluntary
health agency with 130,000 regular
supporters across the province.
The association funds medical
research and conducis public and
professional education programs.
It xelies on contributions from in-
dividual British Columbians for
virtually all of its support.

rate of increase is definitely slow-
ing down.

For instance, the dollars ICBC
paid oui for stolen vehicles tc the
end of June totaled $23.5 million
— 18% higher than in 1991. But

the total for the first half of ’91 -

was 59% higher than the 1990
ameunt.

Similarly, the cost of claims for
thefts froin vehicles has risen 8%
over the first half of 1991, to
$12.2 million. This time last year,
we were looking at a growth of
36% for these losses.

Finally, some good news. Hit-

and-run claims, at $10.5 million
for the first half of 1992, are
down by 14% over last year.

While we’re not ‘“‘there’* yet in
terms of turning the corner on
claims costs, the signs are more
positive than a year ago. In future
columns we will outline significant
new steps ICBC is taking to
reduce the cost of insurance.

In the meantime, please
remember that the most effective
solution to high premiums is in
yout fiands every time you get
behind the wheel.

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