Pretty messed up:
https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/cyclist-hit-by-car-gets-bill-from-icbc-for-car-damage
Take care out there.
No fault insurance = open season on cyclists?
Something is very odd about that story....on the face of it, it's such a slam-dunk failure by the driver and ICBC so how come it's ended up in the media?
There's gotta be more to this....
Anyway, I'm curious whether Ben actually has a driver's license (not that he needs one to ride a bike on a public road!) or car insurance. The wording kinda implies he may have been covered if he was a driver & had his own car insurance (which is another level of fucked up, if the comment about the letter from ICBC is correct)
Yes something seems off... I don't understand this part:
The letter Bolliger received, dated March 18, cites the Insurance (Vehicle) Act, which gives ICBC the right to recover costs and reads in part: “Our customer has reported this crash, and as noted in our previous correspondence, you are responsible for any resulting damage or injury sustained by our insured.
“You were driving an uninsured vehicle at the time of the loss. This means you do not have insurance coverage for this loss and must repay the cost of our insured’s claim.”
I'd like to know what section of the Insurance Vehicle Act ICBC cited in the letter. I haven't read through the whole thing but for starters it clearly defines "vehicle" as "motor vehicle or trailer" so how can a cyclist be driving an uninsured vehicle?
Ive been thinking about getting a gopro or similar just to help mitigate this type of incident should it occur on my commute. Does anyone else ride their commute with one? The amount of stupid crap I see daily on my commute is probably enough to make a some submissions to 'Vancouvers Worst Drivers' YouTube channel. If the worst does happen, at least you would have a video record of it if you survive. Then you also might be able to put up a fight so as not to be screwed over by ICBC like this guy.
Dashcams for cars seem to work, helmet cams for the commutes?
Last edited by: shoreboy on March 31, 2022, 7:22 p.m., edited 1 time in total.
A report on CBC today talked about this and they mentioned than initial fault was assigned at 50/50 for this incident. I know more than a few people who have mentioned that ICBC seems to be labelling more accidents as 50/50, which results in more fees for them as the rates for both drivers go up. This could be what's happening here and until the fault is finally decided that may be why the cyclist in question got the letter. Not sure how a cyclist who was hit by a driver who failed to yield at a stop sign warrants 50% blame.
I'm thinking about using the old go-pro for my commute to provide evidence as well. However, it's probably worth spending a few bucks to get a dedicated dash cam to use so you have a rear facing camera as well. In the event of a hit and run from behind that rear camera could provide critical evidence. I haven't looked for one yet but I think they are pretty cheap, around $100 these days and you can get wifi/bt ones that record to your mobile phone.
100% on a helmet cam. Has not saved me yet but I have sent in a few 2nd hand accident reports with my video capture to save some drivers from headaches.
The rear facing cam would be nice, but dashcams require a 12V source unless I am mistaken? A gopro 360 would cover all the bases I guess.....
Posted by: shoreboy
The rear facing cam would be nice, but dashcams require a 12V source unless I am mistaken? A gopro 360 would cover all the bases I guess.....
I'm think there are battery powered ones available - or go old school and put a 12V battery in a water bottle and plug it into that.
Posted by: syncro
A report on CBC today talked about this and they mentioned than initial fault was assigned at 50/50 for this incident.
Yeah there's something weird about his accident description, but doesn't detract from the point. Cyclists are road users, and having road insurance unavailable is an oversight that only by luck hasn't seemed to be a big issue. Yet.
We share space with cars, and collisions are going to happen. And given ICBC's increasingly odd default judgements that may or may not be interpretations of the MVA (personal experience here), even if you do know the rules of the road (which many cyclists, either ignorantly or willfully don't think apply to them) it's easy to get caught out in a partial responsibility.
But requiring insurance is a quagmire; does my 11 year old require insurance? How about the guy who rides on the road 3x a year? Aren't we trying to make cycling a low-barrier transportation option?
I don't know what the answer is, but if ICBC had an optional insurance for cyclists that was reasonable, I'd get it.
And for those interested in bike-specific dash cams: https://cycliq.com
Posted by: Squint
And for those interested in bike-specific dash cams: https://cycliq.com
Cool idea, but $750 for both ends is pretty steep even if they also double as lights. There's a ton of options on Amazon around $200 for front/rear systems that are battery operated. There's even some options around $60 that look like that would work well.
This one looks like a decent deal, just need to add a 12V battery which is easy enough to do.
https://www.amazon.ca/VSYSTO-Motorcycle-Waterproof-Separated-Recorder/dp/B07M5TBLRW/ref=sr_1_57_sspa
Posted by: syncro
Posted by: Squint
And for those interested in bike-specific dash cams: https://cycliq.com
Cool idea, but $750 for both ends is pretty steep even if they also double as lights. There's a ton of options on Amazon around $200 for front/rear systems that are battery operated. There's even some options around $60 that look like that would work well.
Yes the price is quite steep, probably if I was serious about it I would find a used gopro with image stabilization. I already have lights.
Want to get away with murder in Canada? Drive a car.
The car drivers' comments beneath the IG post are eerily similar to what I have to listen to in Car Wonderland over here.
Jesus, where does that sense of entitlement come from? Yes....a rhetorical question, still, I try to understand these people. But probably never will. And that is fine as well, I guess.
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