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The overall goal is to change B.C.’s current auto insurance system from a model that is based on your vehicle, to rates that are based on your history of safe or risky driving, said Eby.

“People say, ‘Look I’m a really good driver I should get a discount. If I was in another province I would get a great discount,'” said Eby. “Those discounts can only come from people who have riskier behaviours paying more. So if bad drivers don’t pay more then there isn’t as much money to reduce rates for good drivers.”

Reaction, however, was mixed.

“The main thing and I’m really happy about it is they’ve realized the need to disentangle driver and vehicle,” said University of B.C. professor Werner Antweiler. “These are two different things to insure. That was the problem in the past, that we only had one instrument. Now we have two, and we can start to differentiate. That’s a step in the right direction.”

But the government’s argument was flimsy, said retired senior civil servant Richard McCandless. ICBC didn’t offer any specific data to back up its claims that two-thirds of drivers would pay lower basic rates under the proposal, and one-third would pay more, he said.

“If we want to save money in ICBC or generate more revenue the best thing is to cut the crashes, the second best is to cut the coverage, which is what they are doing with (recent caps to claims on) pain and suffering,” said McCandless. “Way down the scale is spinning your wheels trying to determine risk.”