Page 2, The Herahd, Monday, Janvary (2, 1981

line up... ;
to get in

", is life clipes:
weekénd for about#20--

MONTREAL (CP) —
The menu includes ham
steaks with pineapple,
the hours are reason-
able and there's a lineup
jo get in, but there are
still bars on the door,
guards watch from
ahgve:jiand” life. is

people serving short jail
sentences for minor of-
fences by doing time on

Saturday apd Sunday.
At times there's such
long lineup some of
them are told ta go
home and retum next
weekend,

One peisoner recalling
his eighl-day stay for
refusing to pay parking
tickets said: “Pineapple
ham steaks, pork chops

‘and beef steaks. The
: guards are friendly. The

guys (prisoners) are
friendly if you break

down their facades. —
you soon get through to
some of them. The brief
experience 1 hid — I
wouldn't have missed it

‘| spareh, they are left
with only their shoes.
‘Their other clothes are
replaced with standard.
issue jeans and shirts.

for the world.’ ~m,

Prison life is striely

regimented. Prisoners
are cut off from the .
outside world by a long
corridor with two sets of
doors, both locked and.
controlled « elec-
tronically.

After an elaborate

The cells are spartan,
with room for only one

. person. There's a desk
bolted to the wail, a
wash basin, cold run-
ning water, a toilet and

a bed that is bolted to

the floor. The cells are .-

cesigned to give the

guards above a full view

- at all times.

Justice officials must
track down noshows,
handle overcrowding
and run the risk of ex-
posing weekend
prisoners to those. who
have committed more
serious offences.

The government isn't
too keen about the cost
either. The justice
department estimates it

costs $85.84 a day to

guard, feed. clothe and
shelter prisoners.

In the case of the
prisoner *ho refused to
pay parking tickets,
instead of paying the
province an $4 fine, he
got a sentence that cast
the province $686.72.

Another possibility 13
thesuspended sentence:
Let the offender go iree
bul make him serve (wo

_ sentences if he commits

the same crime again.

%,

A UT

__ WHAT'S

EA.LR.IN 1981?

1980 saw the implementation of Phase [ of the
Fundamental Auto Insurance Rating program...
The whole idea behind FA.LR. is ultimately to remove
any form of discrimination in automobile in-
surance rates for reasons of age, sex, marital status or
where a person lives in the province. It seeks to
link Autoplan rates solely to an individual’ driving
record, habits and attitudes. And that’s fair. ,

. ‘Phase Th of the five-year FA.LR. program will take
effect on January 1, 198]. Here are the highlights:

1. REMOVAL OF AGE AS A RATING FACTOR -

This step completes the removal of age, sex and
miaritai status as factors in determining how much
you pay for your Autoplan insurance. From now on,
no individual or group will be penalized or favoured.
solely on the basis of age. , wr

2. INTRODUCTION OF A DRIVER ACCIDENT
PREMIUM

In order to place financial responsibility squarely

where it belongs—on the individual behind the
wheel-a Driver Accident Premium will be introduced
on January 1,198]. It will apply to drivers of vehicles
rated for pleasure or drive-to-work use. lt mearis that
drivers of such vehicles who are responsible for

an accident which results in property damage or badily

injury to others will pay an additional premium of
$390 for each accident. ;

This premium may be paid in one lump sum or
in three equal instalments - the first payable at the
time liability is determined, and the second and third
on the next two anniversaries of the accident.

If the total claim is §100 or less, this Driver
Accident Premium will not be charged. If the liabiliry
is divided, each driver whose share of the claim is
more than $100.will be charged the full Driver Accident
Premium. If the claim is less than $390, the driver
who is at fault may choose to make a single payment
equal to the amount of the claim, rather than pay
the Driver Accident Premium.

This premium is charged to the driver of the
vehicle, whether or not he or she is the owner
Failure to pay a Driver Accident Premium after notice
from the Corporation will result in denial of Own
Damage coverage for a subsequent claim for a vehicle
owned by that driver.

There are two exceptions to this new Driver
Accident Premium:

{a} It does not apply to drivers of vehicles rated
for commercial or business use. Since the cost of
insurance is a business expense, its unfair that an em-
ployee-driver should pay the Driver Accident

Premium when responsible for
“an accident while driving an
employer’ vehicle.

However, accidents will still
mean higher
insurance costs for
owners of such
vehicles because

‘f ag

hed eat

i

O

i

fw \\ attnsurance s Licence

business and commercial vchicles will continue
to be rated under the existing Safe Driving Vehicle
Discount system in 1981. ,

(b) The Driver Accident Premium willalso not
apply to drivers of motorcycles or trailers. This
is because the cost of the accident premium could
exceed the total cost of Autoplan insurance for

. these low-prermmium vehicles. However, motorcycles and

trailers will still be rated according to the Safe
Driving Vehicle Discount system in 1981.

3. CONTINUATION OF THE SAFE DRIVING
VEHICLE DISCOUNT

The Safe Driving Vehicle Discount system will
continue to be applied throughout 1981.

For instance, if your vehicle was involved in an
accident at any time in the three years pricr to
December 31, 1980, you will lose, or already have lost,
pant of your Safe Driving Vehicle Discount.

Despite any changes in the FA.IR. program, you
will still have to ‘earn back’ the full 3-year discount
with the required one, two or three years of accident:
free driving: «.. " era ‘s

“Am-accident occuring after Decembert31, 1980,

on which a Third Party claim is paid, will result in

assessment of a Driver Accident Premium.

"4, REVISIONS TO THE PENALTY POINTS

PREMIUM PROGRAM

In addition to the new Driver Accident Premium
for people who cause accidents, 1981 will see a
revision of the Penalty Points Premium program as a
deterrent to irresponsible drivers who acquire
penalty points for traffic violations.

The minimum number of points a driver can
acquire without financial penalty is now 4 instead
of 5. The maximum number is now 25 instead of 20.

The dollar amount of the additional Penalty
Points Premium is calculated hy squaring the number
of points, equating that figure to dollars .and
adding 30%.

5. ADJUSTMENT OF TERRITORIAL RATES
Further changes will be made in the EA.L.R. pro-
gram towards eliminating differences in territorial
rates. In 1981, these differences will he adjusted to a
maximum spread of 20": between territories.

WHAT'S |
NEW IN 1981?

Several insurance options will be available to you
in 1981 when you renew your Autoplan insurance.
Please take time to check them out before you renew.

They are part of ICBC’s continuing program
to provide a broader range of coverage to meet your
specific needs. a

1. UNDERINSURED MOTORIST PROTECTION
This option provides extended protection to the

victims of accidents where the insurance carried

by the driver at fault is not sufficient

. ro
“Lyn Bes
2a

CHANGES FOR 1981

} 8

to pay claims for bodily injury and death. kt provides
for the victims own Third Party Liability coverage
to be applied to bring the total payment to the higher
amount of coverage.

For exainple, ina situation where a driver at faut
carries $100,000 Third Party Liability coverage but
the victim carries $500,000, the higher wnount cart be
applied to the claim.
2. INCOME REPLACEMENT

If you consider that the standard No-Fault benefits

_ would be inadequate to cover your lost eamings

in the event of an’injury resulting from an accident,
you may wish to consider this endorsement. It pro-
vides limited additional lost income protection and
death benefits.

3. LOSS OF VEHICLE USE

You can purchase this endorsement in con- |
junction with an Own Damage policy. It provides tar
reimbursement on a fixed scale to cover the ex-
penses of a rental vehicle when you make a valid claim
for’'Own Damage coverage. ;

és You can choose reimbursement to stam 24, 48 or
72 hours after the accident is reported to ICBC
or the police. It will end with completion of repairs,
replacement of your vehicle, arthe date on which
ICBC tenders settlement for the lass of your vehicle.

4. AUTOPLAN RATES FOR 1981

Unavoidably, Autoplan rates will increase in 1981.
Why? Quite simply because the number of acci-
dents is going up; the severity of personal injuries is
increasing; the cost of settling claims - both col-
lision and personal injurv-is skyrocketing.

, We can’t control these Factors. The costs we can
control, like the administration of Autoplan, are
among the lowest for any corporation inthe auto in-
surance industry in North America: 16 cents uf the
premiwm dollar versus anindustry average of 30 cents.

» Inflation plays a large part in the rising

- costof settling insurance claims, butso doesthe increas-

ing complexity and sophistication of today's
automobiles. Dual headlights, unitized hadies, light-
weight materials, catalytic converers...these are

just some of the advances in safety environmental
protection, fuel economy and styling that make
every accident that much more costly. Settlements for
injuries are also increasing each year.

So, here are the rate increascs scheduled for 1981:

An average increase of 31% for compulsory
Third Party Liability coverage.

- Adi average increase of 48's for extended
Third Party Liability and Collision
coverages.

Further details on all
aspects of Autoplan

may be found in the 1981

Motorist Kit available

from your local

Autoplan Agent

and from Motor

Licence Offices.

ea)

ae Insurance Carporation of British Columbia

bonanza

VANCOLVER (CP) ~ .

Merchants in the city’s
rustic Gastown area did &
touming business Sunday
with a 25-per-centolf party
atlended oy thousands of
shoppers apparently In
support of a challenge to
the provincial Holiday
Shopping Regulation Act.

4 brass band marched
through the crowded
cobblestone streets to the
tune of “Never on a Sun
day” while merchants

circulated petitions and put

up posters inviting the
public to join in “open
defiance of Bill $6."

About one-third of the 144
merjbers of the Gasiown
Merchants Association
opened their doors from.
noon to five. Some ap
peared to be selling goods
clearly prohibited by the
act while others had roped
off sections of the store to
stay within the act's 25-
square-metre limit.

Brass
indian cotton bedspreads,
wicker furniture,
glassware, wooden hat-
racks and paintings on
black velvet were
described by merchants as
either handicrafts or
sundries, which the act
permits to be sold on
Sunday.

Police Sgt. Peter Fraser,
with twa of his men, met
merchants’ association
president Peter Erwin for a
tour of stores appearing to
Gefy the act.

Fraser said summonses
will be issued today to
several stores. Police will
request additional sum-

monses and file reports to- |

Attorney-General Allan

Williams who will decide -

whether to proceed with

prosecutions.

Erwin said the sale drew
aGout 60,000 people during

_ the five hours, 10 times the
number who normally shop
in Gastown on Sundays,

Stores in nearby
Chinatown also remained
open,

Vancouver Mayor Mike
Harcourt said the city has
asked the provincial
government lo exempt
Gastown and Chinatown
from the act,

Acouncil committee wilk
meat this week to decide on
a fequest to have
bookstores and lum-
beryards exempted as
well,

“feel it's a dumb law,"
said Harcourt, adding the
city shoulda't spend
$250,000 on a Sunday
shopping plebiscile “when
Victoria could change the
jaw with a stroke of the
pen.” :

Bill 56 prohibits Sunday
Sales by ail but corner
Stores pharmacies, nur-
series, boat, auto and
aircraft servicing busi-
hesses, theatres and
restaurants, except in
municipalities that have
approved Sunday shopping
by plebiscites,

The act permits sale of
foodstuffs, antiques,
newspapers, periodicals,
handicrafts and sundries,
in a total sales and display
area of less than 225 square
metres employing no more
than four people.

The legislation has sent
merchants scurrying to
their dictionaries for
definitions of sundries and
handicrafts, ,

“The government must
wanl ta strangle tourism
and hurt the merchants
here by making Gastown a
ghost town — we can't
make up the sales volume
on other days and a lot of
Smail businesses are just
going to founder," said
Brad George, manager of @
Gastown inaport shop.

He said the store can do
$5,-000 in business on a
good Sunday and Sunday
Sales average about 9 per
cent of Lhe total vdume.

Meanwhile, police in
adjacent Richmond were
considering laving charges
against a grocery store for
violating the act,

In Saanich on Vancouver

Island. policehave charged ~

(Wo grocery stores which
remained open

candlesticks, —

* om

a5

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