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Distracted driving plays a role in more than one quarter of all car crash deaths
in B.C., according to Insurance Corp. of British Columbia. On March 1, a
driver with two distracted driving tickets in a three-year period will get
dinged as much as $2,000—a jump of $740 over current penalties and on top
of their regular insurance premium. The changes are expected to boost
ICBC
revenue by $3 million to $5 million a year, which will help o†set basic insur-
ance rates.
Last November, Mustel Group asked 500 Metro Vancouver residents how
they felt about the higher ‹nes. Overall, 79.6 per cent were in favour, and
support rose with age: 76.7 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds and 77.4 per cent of
35- to 54-year-olds compared to 84.8 percent of those over 55.
Although she's heard speculation that the increased ‹nes are a cash grab
to prop up
ICBC, there's obviously strong support for them, says Mustel Group
principal Evi Mustel. "The one area where there's a little bit of di†erence, and
it doesn't surprise me, really, is there's not quite as strong support among the
millennials, the 18- to 34-year-olds."
On the other hand, when Mustel Group asked, "Do you think imposing
harsher ‹nes for distracted driving will result in fewer serious accidents?"
68.3 per cent of 18- to 34-year-olds agreed, compared to 60.3 per cent of
35- to 54-year-olds and 70.4 per cent of people over 55. "So they do agree it's
e†ective," Mustel notes. "They're just not as thrilled about it because they
probably know they're going to be a lot more vulnerable to ‹nes."
FEBRUARy 2018 BCBusiness 13 BCBUSiNESS.CA
Poll of the Month
STRONGLy
SUPPORT
SOMEWHAT
OPPOSE
SOMEWHAT
SUPPORT
STRONGLy
OPPOSE
NEiTHER SUPPORT
NOR OPPOSE
DON'T KNOW
Do you support or oppose B.C.'s planned
increases to distracted driving penalties?
56.1%
53.9%
6.2%
70.4%
14.4%
4.4%
3.5%
1.2%
23.5%
7.2%
23.5%
4.7%
5.3%
9.7%
0.8%
2.5%
1%
11.9%
43.1%
33.6%
7.8%
4.9%
10.6%
TOTAL INTERVIEWS
35-54 YEARS
18-34 YEARS
55+ YEARS
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