AUTOMOTIVES

Press helps iCBC
gauge public opinion

THE EDITORIAL pages

of

B.C.‘s) daily and weekly

newspapers are a forum for opinions and tively debates as
editorialists and letter writers sound off on any and every

topic.

From time to time the focus is
on ICBC, and that gives [CBC's
Public Information Department a
sample of public opinion and a
chance to offer some bicheround
on auto insurance issues in return.

We often respond to these items
with a letter to the paper's editor,
especially if a misunderstanding
exists or if there is another side to
the issue worth presenting to the
public.

INSURANCE
CORPORATION

OF BRITISH COLUMBU

Auto Topic

Here are just three of the nearly
four-dozen items to which we
have responded so far this year:

Back on January 3, Gorde
Hunter of the Victoria Times-
Colonist was calling for a ban on
radar detectors and said, “If a
fuzz-buster is stolen from a car,
obviously ICBC insurance has to
pay foz the loss.’’? We wrote to let
Huster and Times-Colonist
readers know that ICBC has not
paid for stolen radar detectors
since December, 1988.

A Kamloops motorist wrote to
his local paper a few weeks ago
complaining that although a court
did not find him guilty of driving
with a suspended licence, ICBC
refused to treat the damages he
caused by running into someone’s

By Ken Hardie
Insurance Corporation of B.C.

conerete wall as an insurance
claim and was billing him for the
amount of the damages.

At issue here is the fact that the
auto insurance coverage on a
vehicle is void if the driver does
not have a valid driver's licence.

Our letter to the editor pointed
cut that there had only been a
“stay of proceedings’’ on the
charge, which did not alter the
fact that he was driving while
under suspension at the time of
the accident. Although ICBC paid
for the damaged wall, we felt

justified in billing this individual.

A writer to the 8.C. Report
magazine called for the
privatization of auto insurance
because ‘‘state-owned corpora-
tions do not operate efficiently.”"

Our response drew attention to
sky-rockeiing premiums in On-
tario and the fact that some
private insurers there, citing
mounting losses, have pulled out
of auto insurance entirely, leaving
thousands of motorists scrambling
to find coverage. We also remind-
ed the writer of the discrimination
by age, sex and marital status
which means younger motorists
with good driving records pay well
in excess of $3,000 per year for
their auto insurance.

We wondered if B.C. motorists
really wanted to bring that kind of
“efficiency’’ back.

a
Ofte: expires
August 31st, 1990

OVER $500,000. OF USED CARS IN STOCK 9.4

BASED ON $2000, DOWN OR EQUIVELANT VALUE. 12 MONTHS FINANCING OAC ™

Friday. August 31, 1990 — North Shore News - 19

1170 MARINE DR.
NORTH VANCOUVER

TOGETHER, WE ARE GOING
GREEN ON THE NORTH SHORE

ment, District of North Vancouver
in cooperation with Environment
Canada, Capilano College, Lynn
Canyon Ecology Centre, Society Pro-
moting Environmental Conservation
(SPEC), Students Towards En-
vironmental Protection, North Shore
Continuing Education, North Van-
couver Recreation Commission, West
Vancouver Parks & Recreation, the
Corporation of the City of North Van-
couver and the Corporation of the District
of West Vancouver.

This Sunday, September 2, you will

be receiving a special chree month
GOING GREEN calendar in your

North Shore News. Each week will
highlight a specific task towards an
environmentally-sound lifestyle. Small
changes, like those proposed in the
GOING GREEN calendar are easy

ways to make a difference — changes

like car-pooling, planting trees, feed-

birds, using environmentally friendly

pest controls, garbage-less gift wrapping
and more.

Post your GOING GREEN calendar
where your whole family can see it and be
terninded to make environmentally friendly
choices.

The GOING GREEN ON THE NORTH SHORE is

an initiative of the Task Force on the Environ-

The North Shore News is proud to be a part
of this program. You will receive your calendar
in Sunday's North Shore News.

M6 VOICE OF MOET ES AnD WEST VANCOUVER

SUNDAY + WEOMESOAY - FHIDAY

WATCH FOR YOUR CALENDAR SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 2