Saskatchewan Rewards Safe Drivers

Saskatchewan motorists are being rewarded for safe driving habits. Starting July 1, 2002, Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) is rewarding safe drivers with a discount on their vehicle insurance, while ensuring drivers who display risky behavior pay their share of fines. Under the Safe Driver Recognition program, two out of three Saskatchewan vehicle owners (about 350,000 people) will receive a discount on their vehicle insurance.

Initially all Saskatchewan motorists will be placed on the Safety Rating Scale based on their driving record since 1995. Safe drivers with a positive rating will get a break on their vehicle insurance - to a maximum of seven percent. SGI's records show 55% of eligible Saskatchewan vehicle owners will receive a discount of five percent or more on their plate insurance.

Drivers who start the program with a negative safety rating will not be eligible to receive a discount, but they will also not be charged any new fines for incidents that occurred before the program launch. Drivers will begin to pay new fines once the program is in place. This will help offset the cost of discounts for safe drivers.

Certain incidents will cost drivers points on the Safety Rating Scale. These include: at-fault accidents, specified traffic convictions and traffic-related Criminal Code convictions such as impaired driving.

The more incidents a motorist has, the more demerit points they'll receive and the higher fines they'll pay. These fines will take the place of current driver's licence surcharges and will be assessed immediately following an incident.

The Safety Rating Scale will make the rating and penalty system simpler to understand, allowing motorists to see for themselves how their driving habits affect their auto insurance costs in a more timely manner.

For more information about Safe Driver Recognition, visit SGI's Web site.

Saskatchewan Government Insurance, April 25, 2002