With major changes to how auto insurance works in B.C. looming in September the Insurance Bureau of Canada says ICBC needs to inform people what these changes mean.

IBC Vice President Aaron Sutherland says questions are swirling from drivers to autobody shops and so far there are very few answers.

“It’s a little bit challenging to find out exactly what the changes September 1 are going to mean for prices in this province,” he said. “That’s what we’re all most concerned about – what is this going to mean for my pocket book?”

“Certainly, we’ve heard for some drivers prices are going to go very much up, but it’s those others whether or not they are going to see any savings at all because ICBC has been somewhat unclear on that.”

Sutherland says the changes – moving to insure the driver and not the vehicle – make a lot of sense, putting the cost onus on bad drivers who will pay more.

But Sutherland says drivers deserve to know how the new system works, what costs will be, and what their safe driving record will look like.

“One of the whole rationales of having a public auto insurer is to have that clarity, to have that transparency in what you are purchasing,” he said. “Unfortunately, ICBC has never been very transparent with their information whether it’s pricing, or their operations or their justification for their continued rate increases.”

“I think drivers certainly deserve that information.”