Ontario considers changing requirements for reporting auto collisions

Province may increase mandatory reporting limit for collisions with no injuries to $2,000, from the $1,000 level set in 1998.


Thestar.com
March 23, 2015
By Rob Ferguson

From fender-benders to rear-enders and more, Ontario is mulling changes to how motorists are required to officially report automobile collisions when no personal injuries are involved.

The threshold for reporting damage to police or a provincial collision reporting centre could soon double to $2,000 from the $1,000 level set in 1998.

Such a move would follow the lead of five other provinces that have increased their limits to keep pace with inflation and the rising costs of auto repairs.

“It’s important for us to constantly try to update to make sure we are keeping pace with what’s in the marketplace,” Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca said Monday.

But Toronto police still recommend reporting any accidents with damage, no matter how minor, as a way for motorists to protect themselves from insurance fraud, among other things.

“We stress that it’s to the benefit of the involved parties to report it,” said Const. Clint Stibbe of the traffic division. “A lot of times insurance companies will ask for a report to be filed anyway.”

Reporting a crash, along with getting other drivers’ insurance and licence information and taking pictures of them and the scene with your smartphone, is a good policy in case questions are raised later, Stibbe added.

“Document everything.”

While the government doesn’t expect the change to have any meaningful impact on traffic flow, it does believe raising the limit may result in police being called to fewer minor accidents and cut down on paperwork for officers and insurance companies.

“Even something quite small can now be $1,000,” said Teresa Di Felice, director of government and community relations for the Canadian Automobile Association, noting the dollar limit applies to all vehicles in a collision.

“If it’s any type of dent or breaking something like a light or a mirror it adds up fast.”

New Democrat MPP Jagmeet Singh (Bramalea-Gore-Malton), his party’s insurance critic, said changing the limit makes sense “at first blush” but requires further investigation.

“I’ve seen too many changes in auto insurance benefit the insurance companies so I want to hear how it impacts drivers.”

A 45-day public comment period on the proposed change ends May 4. A summary of the proposal can be viewed online.

“We’ll make a decision once we have all the information back and we’ve had a chance to analyze it,” Del Duca said.

In Toronto, automobile collisions of all types have been increasing by about 5,000 annually in the last few years, with about 61,700 crashes last year as more motorists and cars crowd the roads, Stibbe said.

“We’ve had a substantial amount of collisions every year but personal injury levels have gone down,” he added.