In recent years ICBC has been taking a more aggressive approach with claimants, hoping to contain claims’ costs for the Crown Corporation so that profit can be used elsewhere in the institution.
For those representing injured people, it has been obvious that a top-down change in policy has occurred. As predicted, the response has backfired, and now more and more people hurt in car, cycling, and pedestrian accidents have hired lawyers to represent them in the face of this mandated unreasonableness. The result? ICBC’s costs for driving people into the Courts have increased by about 20% over the last five years. As told in recent media reports, ICBC is having to pay out more money to successful claimants and their lawyers after driving them into litigation. ICBC’s Legal Costs.
The BC government’s 2012 review of the insurer found there to be widespread potential for reduction of staff, salaries, and other layers of bureaucracy. Should taxpayers, and more importantly, people injured in accidents be forced to bear the burden of paying for this mismanagement?