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Report-a-claim in the Lower Mainland by calling 604-520-8222 or 1-800-910-4222 for the rest of B.C.

Who's at fault? — How ICBC determines fault

When you make a claim, it is the responsibility of your adjuster to determine who is at fault. When another motorist is involved, your adjuster and that person’s adjuster do this together. Fault is usually assessed within 30 days.

How fault is assessed

First, we fully investigate your claim. This may include gathering information such as:

We also consider:

Gathering and assessing all the information about a crash can be a complex, time consuming process.

NOTE: The courts have the final say about who is liable (at fault) for a motor vehicle accident. ICBC will assess fault in your case based on our knowledge of how courts have decided fault in the past in cases similar to yours.

Search court decisions about car crashes

The B.C. Supreme Court publishes its judgments in an online database. You can search this database to see how the courts have decided fault and awarded damages in car accidents similar to yours. To do this, go to the database and enter in key words that describe your crash (e.g., “left turn”).