IBC Lauds BC’s Introduction of Graduated Drivers’ License Reforms

The Insurance Bureau of Canada issued an announcement calling the proposed reforms of British Columbia’s graduated licensing system an “excellent public policy that should serve as a model for other provinces.”

“Insurance Bureau of Canada has always been an advocate for comprehensive graduated licensing,” stated Lindsay Olson, VP of the IBC’s Pacific Region. “Because we know that everywhere graduated licensing has been implemented, it has saved lives. This is the most important road safety initiative undertaken in BC since the birth of the ‘CounterAttack’ program, and we salute the Solicitor General for the leadership he has shown on this issue.”

Olson noted that when graduated licensing was first implemented in Ontario, at the urging of the IBC, fatal collisions amongst 16-year-old drivers and passengers dropped by over one-third. “It is also worth noting that no province or state has ever turned back the clock on graduated licensing,” Olson indicated. “It always proves to be good public policy, and is always more popular after its introduction than before.”

The IBC said that while it was “pleased with the proposed changes on licensing times, supervision, and passenger restrictions,” the government should also consider the issue of curfews. “Curfew restrictions for novice and intermediate drivers are an important part of a comprehensive program, given the number of fatal crashes that occur in the early morning hours,” Olson stressed. “We hope the Solicitor General will give serious consideration to putting a meaningful curfew in the BC graduated licensing system.”