INSURANCE NEWS

THE PRICE OF PEDALING

The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia will no longer require pedestrians, cyclists or skateboarders to pay repair costs for accidents “where a cyclist or pedestrian has suffered a severe or catastrophic injury,” “if there has been a fatality,” or “when ICBC must determine liability as 50/50 because there is not enough evidence to determine what happened.” This sudden amendment from ICBC comes following a wave of public scrutiny after a cyclist in Vancouver was hit by a vehicle, since proven to have run a red light, and served with a $3,752.01 several days later. “Government and ICBC listened to the concerns raised from cycling advocates…The previous approach was not reflective of the changes we’ve made to auto insurance in British Columbia and that needed to be fixed,” said B.C.’s minister of public safety, Mike Farnworth, in a statement.