ICBC recovers policyholders' money — March 18

Maple Ridge resident pleads guilty to providing false information

A Maple Ridge resident has pleaded guilty to charges of providing false information to ICBC.

Silvana Maria Kirkpatrick of Maple Ridge appeared in court on February 25, 2005 and pleaded guilty to charges under the Insurance (Motor Vehicle) Act. She was fined $1,000 and ordered to pay $9,857 in restitution.

“ICBC has a zero tolerance policy for claims based on fraud,” said Mark Withenshaw, ICBC vice president of loss management. “It is not acceptable to ICBC to sit back and simply pass the cost of fraud onto our customers.”

Kirkpatrick reported that her husband's vehicle was involved in a collision with two parked vehicles on November 13, 2003 in Vancouver. She and her girlfriend had been out drinking and claimed that the person driving the car was a man that her girlfriend had met at the bar.

In charges submitted to the Crown, it was alleged that, an ICBC investigation and a review of a police report revealed Kirkpatrick was driving the vehicle and received a 24-hour suspension for being under the influence of alcohol and that witnesses confirmed that she was in fact, the only occupant in the vehicle at the time of the collision.

“Fraud is not a victimless crime,” said Withenshaw. “The cost is paid by honest customers in the form of higher premiums.” The Canadian Coalition Against Insurance Fraud estimates that up to 15 per cent of insurance claims are either exaggerated or fraudulent.

Anyone with information on a suspicious, exaggerated or fraudulent claim is encouraged to phone the ICBC Tips Line at 604-661-6844.

For more information contact:
Doug Henderson
604-982-1332

Why Die Before You've Lived?

VICTORIA, B.C. -Car crashes continue to be the number one killer of youth. That's why Autoplan Brokers, First Memorial Funeral Services® and ICBC are partnering to ensure a strong message reaches youth in the Vancouver Island region.

“We are pleased to be launching this campaign with such valuable partners,” said Lyall Woznesensky, Regional Manager Loss Prevention, ICBC. “The interest and support from these sponsors make it evident that everyone is affected by youth-related collisions.”

In 2003 car crashes were responsible for 37% of all youth fatalities in the province and on Vancouver Island there were 5,900 youth related crashes that resulted in 15 deaths.

“New drivers are five times more likely to be involved in car crashes,” said Jay Tuson, Co-Chair of the South Vancouver Island Autoplan Broker Road Safety Team. “Road Safety is a priority for Autoplan Brokers on Vancouver Island and again this year we are a committed sponsor to this effective campaign.”

“At First Memorial we are very proud to be a sponsor of this program,” said David Quinlan, Location Manager Downtown Victoria, First Memorial Funeral Services®. “We are all very aware of the impact that a death of a young person has on both family and community, and we will do all we can to help prevent these unnecessary tragedies.”

The 2005 youth campaign runs through the months of March and April and includes several different components that reach every community of Vancouver Island:

• Road Sense Speaker, Heather Charlton will speak at 47 high schools
• Why Die Before You've Lived - Web Contest www.cancelled.ca
• Community Projects -Conversations and DRIVE 05
• Distribution of “Navigating the Team Years” brochure to most grade 10 students

“Saanich Police are running the Conversations program because kids are still getting into crashes, they are still getting injured and they are still being killed,” said Inspector Bob Downie of the Saanich Police Department. “We need parents to engage their young drivers and passengers in ongoing Conversations - to give them a plan and help them make smart choices about road safety. We are asking parents to talk to their kids, so we don't have to talk to you.”

In British Columbia, youth drivers aged 16—21 accounted for 8% of the province's 2.8 million drivers, but 11% of crashes involved youth drivers at fault. The partners involved in the campaign are hoping to change these statistics.

Visit www.cancelled.ca for contest details.

For more on road safety, see this website's Road Safety section.

For more information contact:
Tamara McLean
250-414-7883
250-889-2144 cell

Copyright © 2008 ICBC - Insurance Corporation of British Columbia