Premium insurance rates for repeat distracted drivers is set to increase by more than 50 per cent come March 1, 2018.
“Distracted driving continues to put people in danger and significant pressure on insurance rates for all drivers. Today, we are taking action to curb the behaviour and improve safety for all B.C. road users,” said Attorney General David Eby, via a news release Monday.
As such, drivers who have two distracted driving tickets in a span of three years will pay about $2,000 in premiums (total fines and safe-driving point deductions) as opposed to $1,256.
“Distracted driving is a factor in more than 25 per cent of all car crash fatalities in B.C., killing an average of 78 people each year,” noted the provincial government.
Currently, there are about 12,000 drivers in British Columbia that have multiple distracted-driving offences over a three-year period.
The move is expected to generate $3 million to $5 million annually, which will offset overall basic insurance rates.
According to the statement, distracted driving relates to drivers caught using a hand-held electronic devices. In other instances of distraction or inattention, such as eating, police may also issue a ticket for driving without due care and attention.
