REGINA – Don Fuller has been a vocal opponent to proposed hikes to motorcycle insurance, but after looking at the review committee’s findings released Tuesday, he is more optimistic SGI has found a way to keep the rates down.
“There’s been some fairly strong pieces that have come forward,” said Fuller, media spokesperson for Riders Against Government Exploitation (RAGE).
Last February, SGI proposed to increase insurance rates for motorcyclists by more than 70 per cent to try and close a $9 million gap between payouts for injuries and what motorcyclists pay.
The rate review panel ultimately capped the hikes at 15 per cent, but there was still large public outcry. As a result, the provincial government asked the Crown corporation to form a review committee to come up with alternative solutions to raising rates.
The committee’s recommendations have the potential to reduce deaths and injury by about 20 per cent.
Some of the new initiatives seem like common sense:
- Require new riders to demonstrate they can safely handle a motorcycle by passing a skills and ability test
- Bump up the fee for Motorcycle Graduated Driver Licensing to $500 for new riders who haven’t taken training before getting their learner’s license
- Require riders to hold a class 5 license
- Require riders to wear safety gear
“A lot of it is targeted towards new drivers. Forty-five percent of our accidents come from riders within the MGDL program,” said Don Thompson, SGI’s vice-president of product management.
The Saskatchewan Safety Council thinks the safety measures don’t go far enough.
“This just says you are covered. It doesn’t say what you’re covered with,” said Barry Muir.
“However, if I have an accident and go down, this shirt is going to tear and rip. And I’m going to get hurt.”
The recommendations still need to be approved by government, but SGI hopes to implement the basic skills and ability test for new riders for this riding season.
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