The Insurance Corporation of B.C. (ICBC) revealed that the number of calls it has recently received through its Dial-a-Claim hotline have vastly surpassed average numbers - 700 more than the insurer would typically receive.
On Friday, ICBC received 3,500 Dial-a-Claim calls.
“We have ice, we have snow, we have slush and drivers perhaps are driving too quickly for the conditions,” ICBC spokesperson Sam Corea noted.
CBC News reported that back in December, the insurer’s emergency hotline was dialled about 5,000 times a day during periods of heavy snowfall. Call volume was up by 16% province-wide last month, and 11% across the Lower Mainland.
“Our call volumes continue to be up on Friday and on Saturday from the regular call volume,” Corea observed. “But not as high as they were in December, so we kind of are in catch-up mode right now.”
The spokesperson hopes that the number of calls will soon drop.
Corea also prays that as winter conditions foreseeably persist for the rest of January, more drivers would realize that they need to adjust their driving habits to be safer on the road.
“We don’t see [this weather] very often here on the Lower Mainland so it serves as a good reminder that when it does snow, when there is slush and there is ice, you can’t drive your regular way, so you need to adjust,” Corea noted.
He pointed out that posted speed limits are meant for ideal conditions, so drivers must exercise additional caution when driving in the snow.
Although winter tires are not mandatory in some portions of the Lower Mainland, Corea noted that drivers could be found at fault if they refuse to install auto equipment. Insurance will still be valid in such cases, however, he noted.
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