SCALE MODELS
Good drivers will no longer subsidize bad drivers, according to a Manitoba lawyer following the recent court decision to adjust MPI insurance rates based on a primary driver model, rather than a registered owner model. MPI’s previous model of adjusting rates and discounts is based on who originally registered it, rather than the primary driver.
“[The previous model] will never account for the people who are actually driving the vehicle, and the people who are driving the vehicle are the people who are causing accidents on the road,” said Charlotte Meek, a lawyer representing the Coalition of Manitoba Motorcycle Groups.
This decision comes off the heels of a recent court battle between the provincial insurer and the Provincial Utilities Board, the latter of whom directed MPI to adopt the new model following years of pressure, rewarding drivers on the top end of MPI’s driver safety rating scale, who are eligible to save up to 37 percent on their insurance.
HALL OF SHAME
The holiday season is over, resuming the regularly scheduled fear and suspicion we direct toward one another, spurred on by things like the MPI “Top 5 Frauds” list of 2022, released in the final week of 2022.
Police and MPI representatives received a call from a customer alleging that their insured vehicle was stolen and destroyed in a fire. Investigators noticed an empty plastic laundry detergent pod container at the scene of the burnt-out vehicle, with the claimant being seen filling the detergent container at a gas station previously. After being presented with the evidence, the claimant admitted that the fire was accidental and no theft took place.
According to MPI’s press release, nearly 3,000 investigations were carried out over the past year, saving over $14 million in false payouts.
