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But what about accident-free motorists who drive older-model cars that don’t have all the fancy tech? Why doesn’t ICBC give them a break and penalize bad drivers of more technologically complex and expensive-to-repair newer vehicles? ICBC’s answer: They do that already.

A 2015 ICBC comparative-rate chart shows it costs $1,731 to fully insure a new Toyota Corolla, $2,177 for a BMW 335i and $4,879 for a Bentley Continental GT.

And dangerous drivers pay more, too, from $175 a year for drivers who collect four penalty points, $905 for 10 points, $3,760 for 20 points and all the way up to $24,000 for 50 points or more (if they still have a driver’s licence and/or car.)

All well and good. But with the accident rate still climbing dramatically, it’s time for the government to bring the hammer down — big-time — on distracted driving.

And the government must stop using ICBC like a cash cow. Since taking power in 2001, the Liberals have siphoned more than $1 billion in “dividends” from ICBC’s coffers (also known as drivers’ pockets.) The government should stop its stealth-taxing of B.C. drivers. Permanently.

ALL THAT JAS: A little while ago I heard from a solid source that former Global TV reporter Jas Johal was preparing to run in the looming provincial election for the ruling B.C. Liberal Party. So I phoned him and asked him if he was jumping into the political arena.

“No, not at all,” said Johal, who left Global in 2014 to work for B.C.’s liquefied natural-gas industry.

“I have not talked to anybody about this. I have not discussed it with anybody. Period. I’m focused on getting LNG off the ground.”

I asked why my solid Liberal party source would suggest otherwise.

“I don’t know — it’s the oddest thing,” he said, adding I should tell my source: “They are absolutely wrong about Jas Johal.”

On Wednesday, Johal was named the Liberal candidate in Richmond-Queensborough. If he wins, I’m sure he will thank me in his victory speech for giving him the idea.

msmyth@postmedia.com

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