Private auto insurers claim ICBC is making it hard for them to provide insurance in B.C.

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Private auto insurers want to step into B.C.’s market to give you cheaper insurance but say they can’t because of ICBC.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada Vice President Aaron Sutherland says private insurance companies are handcuffed because they can’t access your driving history.

“The reality is, ICBC blocks them from doing so because it doesn’t give other insures access to a driver’s history or other information that they need to price and sell insurance in British Columbia,” Sutherland says.

But Attorney General David Eby disagrees. He says drivers can easily access their 20 year driving history online and hand it over to whichever company they choose.

“It would be indefensible, in my mind, that we refuse to provide drivers with their claims history to then go and get quotes from private insurers. They should be able to do that and in fact they can,” says Eby.

“It’s really easy to do, it’s totally available online and I have no idea what the IBC is talking about. What I do know is that they say they can provide cheaper insurance and they don’t do it.”

Sutherland admits drivers have access but says making them do all the work is a barrier to providing cheaper options in the province and that the records should be accessible between companies.

“They won’t allow other insurers to access it and without that information, other companies can’t price their products and so they don’t come to British Columbia to give British Columabians a choice in auto insurance.”

Eby is adamant IBC is making an issue out of nothing.