Police no longer have to respond to minor crashes in B.C.
Posted March 8, 2019 12:48 pm.
Last Updated March 8, 2019 1:55 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Your commute might get a little easier, thanks to changes helping police clear minor crash scenes faster.
Police no longer have to go to collisions when there are no injuries, as long as the damage done is estimated at less than $10,000.
Up until now, officers had to write reports for damage exceeding a $1,000 for cars, $600 for motorcycles, and $100 for bicycles.
Delta Police Chief Neil Dubord, who is also chair of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police traffic safety committee, says officers have been pushing for a raise to the minimum damage amount for several years.
“We’ve seen the cost to be able to repair vehicles go up and up and up. It seems like even the most minor collisions now are $5,000 or $7,000.”
Investigators still have to file reports with ICBC for every crash that’s fatal or involves someone getting hurt.
Dubord notes if there’s any question about whether someone was drunk behind the wheel, they will still go to the scene. “If there’s any suspicion of alcohol or there’s some suspicious driving behaviour, police will respond — whether it’s over or under $10,000.”
He’s overall pleased with the change. “The whole ability for us to be able to clear a bridge, to be able to clear a tunnel, to be able to clear some other roadway that’s already constricted of a collision and allow people to flow freely to and from work and get them to their appointments and daycares on time is critical for us. It certainly helps that whole ability for drivers to be courteous and continue to move on the road.”
He admits officers aren’t trained to be able to visually estimate damage with high accuracy.
“Because we go to so many collisions, we typically have somewhat of an idea. But I’ll be frank: Often, our officers will go and think there’s very minor damage and someone will come back and say, ‘Jeepers, there’s $1,800 or $2,000 of damage’ and they’ll have to do a police report for that. I think most of the time, we have fairly good estimates, knowing what’s over and under $10,000. But certainly, we’re never perfectly accurate.”
The province believes this change will save time for both officers and ICBC.
