Vehicle Insurance changes for 2019 NF

[Headhunter]

This popped into my in box this morning. If it is indeed true, there will be folks who will see massive increases in the car insurance premiums.

Perhaps we have some insurance folks here who could verify?

Either way, still not a good idea to text/talk and drive!

HH

Are you aware of the changes that are happening with Auto Insurance. 

Please note as of January 1, 2019, a cell phone ticket in Ontario will carry a 3-day license suspension and a $1000.00
Fine.

What does this have to do with your insurance. If you receive this conviction it will be seen as a Major Conviction (minimum surcharge of $350.00) plus a ratable license suspension (minimum surcharge of $150.00) and a guarantee non-renewal/cancellation of your auto policy. 

The reason for this is insurance companies do not want to insure drivers who text and drive as they are at a higher risk of a fatal accident. Insurance companies are
even taking into consideration the people who received a texting and driving ticket prior to January 1, 2019 and rating their insurance policies
accordingly to the new rules.

If you have this ticket on your record currently, you might be seen as a high-risk driver and we may need to place you in a high-risk market come
your renewal. 

 

 

Please note that all convictions and license suspensions stay
on your record for only 3 years – after that they are not ratable.

Stay safe and Drive Smart

 

Edit... first offense 3 points, next offense 6 points. Also, window will go 5 years, not 3.

Edited December 11, 2018 by Headhunter

[DRIFTER_016]

I see nothing wrong with this at all.

I'm tired of people on their phones putting myself and others at risk for their selfishness.

I've had a phone since the early days as I was in the business and always pulled over to use it.

My boss didn't until he drove into the back of someone at a stoplight because he was distracted.

[Fisherman]

I don't have a problem with that.  While you drive, turn the phone off, problem solved.

[DanD]

Yeah there's no need to hold your phone to text with today's technology. My 17 Silverado has voice command to send  and receive texts and make phone calls. Push one button on the steering wheel and tell the system what you want it to do. Verbally say what you want to text; it repeats the text back to you; then asks if you're ready to send. There has to be an after market source for a similar system?

Dan.

[Headhunter]

I wholeheartedly with all of you! We have to put an end the scourge of texting/talking on phones, unless a hands free option is available. 

HH

[jimmer]

It gets pretty scary when driving on the 401 in T.O. and see so many people on there phones. It sure happens in the smaller towns too.

 

[misfish]

2 hours ago, Headhunter said:

I wholeheartedly with all of you! We have to put an end the scourge of texting/talking on phones, unless a hands free option is available. 

HH

Well allow me to stir the pot here. I get yadda yadda yadda on a cell, but, you cannot tell me hands free is safe. Buddies on hands free talking a deal, reaches over to grab a paper to read,can get it,turns head to see where it is,  and wham, distracted. Buddies on the hands free talking away and all of a sudden, the talk gets heated, hands free rage starts,distracted, wham,into the back of a car, or goes through a red light. Not paying attention to his surroundings.  Distraction.

[dave524]

One one the best things about modern hearing aids is that they link to your phone via blue tooth and you can talk hands free while driving, text messages are like email to me, notifications is turned off and I check them at maybe once a day,  NO TEXT CONVERSATIONS for me ? 

[Headhunter]

36 minutes ago, misfish said:

Well allow me to stir the pot here. I get yadda yadda yadda on a cell, but, you cannot tell me hands free is safe. Buddies on hands free talking a deal, reaches over to grab a paper to read,can get it,turns head to see where it is,  and wham, distracted. Buddies on the hands free talking away and all of a sudden, the talk gets heated, hands free rage starts,distracted, wham,into the back of a car, or goes through a red light. Not paying attention to his surroundings.  Distraction.

Unfortunately by that logic Brian, we would never have passengers in our cars!

HH

[misfish]

5 minutes ago, Headhunter said:

Unfortunately by that logic Brian, we would never have passengers in our cars!

HH

LOL Thats what the mrs,s said. Still though, there is distraction, YES, NO ?

I am totally against texting, but talking with a cell in hand is not that complicated.

[John Bacon]

If I remember correctly, studies indicated that there was no difference in accident rates between holding a cell phone or using hands free to speak.  They were both equally distracting.

Texting would be another matter though.    

[Old Ironmaker]

7 hours ago, misfish said:

Well allow me to stir the pot here. I get yadda yadda yadda on a cell, but, you cannot tell me hands free is safe. Buddies on hands free talking a deal, reaches over to grab a paper to read,can get it,turns head to see where it is,  and wham, distracted. Buddies on the hands free talking away and all of a sudden, the talk gets heated, hands free rage starts,distracted, wham,into the back of a car, or goes through a red light. Not paying attention to his surroundings.  Distraction.

The closest I have come to killing myself or worse someone else is when it was legal to talk on a phone and drive. It has happened a few times on the big highways when I had the business. You hit the nail on the head Brian. It isn't just talking on the phone it is the "Oh I have that document right here" and the next thing you know I am looking for something in a folder on the passengers seat or worse the floor and not driving. I have come too close to loosing it doing 125 KPH too many times. Still scary thinking about it today. 

As far as big fines, it's about time. I'm going to throw political correctness out the window now. The ones I see texting or talking on the phone the most while driving are 20 something year old women. 

A question, is it legal to play with the GPS while driving? That is just as distracting, maybe more so. Car makers are building in more and more distracting features with all these touch screen features. I drove a newer Caddy a while back, everything had to be controlled from the touch screen except the lights and blinkers. 

[Fisherman]

A question, is it legal to play with the GPS while driving?

No it's not legal, inputs must be made before driving.

• Simply holding an electronic device in your hands (hand-held communication during driving is against the law)
• Using a cellular phone to talk, text, check maps or switch playlists
• Eating (there may not be a licence suspension, but the RCMP warn you could be fined or given six demerits depending on the food)
• Reading books or documents
• Typing a destination into the GPS

[lew]

10 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

"Oh I have that document right here" and the next thing you know I am looking for something in a folder on the passengers seat or worse the floor and not driving.

Many years ago my FIL was driving through Pickering and dropped something on the floor and when he bent over to pick it up he crossed the center line and nailed an oncoming car head on.

Luckily there were no serious injuries but he totalled 2 vehicles and payed a huge fine  for 2 seconds of not paying attention and it just shows how fast terrible things can happen

[LostAnotherOne]

I'm definitely worried when I get my insurance renewed in the spring.  This past May I travelled to Nova Scotia for the week.  When going through Montreal we were going to take the Lafontaine tunnel, but it was closed down for maintenance so we had to reroute.  Anyways I got a little lost in the downtown area and stupid me I did an illegal U-turn in the middle of a intersection at 1:30 in the morning.  Cop saw me and handed me a $1500 ticket plus 6 points.  Vacation was ruined.  I saw in my review mirror that they were having a nice big laugh over the situation. 

[DRIFTER_016]

18 hours ago, Old Ironmaker said:

As far as big fines, it's about time. I'm going to throw political correctness out the window now. The ones I see texting or talking on the phone the most while driving are 20 something year old women. 

Those are also the ones I see walk into traffic when they should be watching where they are going and paying attention to silly things like traffic lights instead of staring down at their phone while crossing the road.

[DRIFTER_016]

5 hours ago, LostAnotherOne said:

I'm definitely worried when I get my insurance renewed in the spring.  This past May I travelled to Nova Scotia for the week.  When going through Montreal we were going to take the Lafontaine tunnel, but it was closed down for maintenance so we had to reroute.  Anyways I got a little lost in the downtown area and stupid me I did an illegal U-turn in the middle of a intersection at 1:30 in the morning.  Cop saw me and handed me a $1500 ticket plus 6 points.  Vacation was ruined.  I saw in my review mirror that they were having a nice big laugh over the situation. 

Quebecers hate the rest of Canada.

Probably would have been let off with a warning if you had a Quebec license plate and spoke French.  ?

[Old Ironmaker]

25 minutes ago, DRIFTER_016 said:

Quebecers hate the rest of Canada.

Probably would have been let off with a warning if you had a Quebec license plate and spoke French.  ?

I could write a book about what lengths the locals in rural Quebec would go to make our trips there interesting. Our hunt and fish camp on the Ottawa River wasn't far from the bridge at Pembroke On. going to Fort Coulange Que. But we kept going there for cheap booze and even cheaper ladies, errrr women. When we played ball in Verdun we weren't allowed to leave the motel. When we snuck out Le Sortie de Quebec followed us everywhere we went. Excuse my French. 

[outllaw]

I enjoyed fort coulonge . quarts of beer at whelans. . back then no cell phones,or internet. .as for cell phones no issue. I wont own one lol.

[Old Ironmaker]

5 hours ago, outllaw said:

I enjoyed fort coulonge . quarts of beer at whelans. . back then no cell phones,or internet. .as for cell phones no issue. I wont own one lol.

That is one wild place, or it was. There was a Beef farm near Ft. Coulange where the farmer lady would BBQ you a 1 pound steak and a jug of cold beer for something like 8 bucks. That's what you got, a steak and a huge mug of ice cold beer, no taters or fixins'. If you knew the password she had Moonshine. The password was "argent."

[outllaw]

fort coulange was fun no doubt. my brother married a girl from there. man I learned a lotta brookie spots.my first trip was 1966 there..never had any moonshine,but drank a few quarts .

[Old Ironmaker]

You didn't know the password. I think the bars there closed at 2 or 3 when ours closed at 1. As if we needed more. Always had a designated driver because the OPP set up on the Canadian side of the bridge. A few times us non hunters got back to the cabin when the boys were up getting ready to freeze their butts off hunting for flying chickens. No cell phones then other than the ones the size of a radio that they called in airstrikes with in Viet Nam with the 10 pound battery on a strap.