Changes are on the way to SGI's Safe Driver Recognition program.
The changes that take effect Oct. 12 will see both tougher penalties as well as bigger discounts for safe drivers.
One change is harsher penalties for speeding convictions. Drivers now lose points for all speeding convictions (except photo speed enforcement convictions), and in some cases the number of points a driver loses for a speeding infraction is increasing.
As well, the safety rating scale will grow by one point a year for the next five years, from +20 to +25. As it grows, drivers with the safest records will earn higher discounts on vehicle insurance, reaching 25 per cent when the scale reaches its maximum in 2020 from the current 20 per cent.
For those in the penalty zone, financial penalties will double from $25 to $50 per point.
Drivers responsible for collisions will lose points based on the seriousness of the collision — four points for claim payouts under $700 and six points for claim payouts of $700 or more.
In a news release SGI said in 2014, 30 people were killed and 872 injured in 1,954 speed-related collisions in Saskatchewan.
“Speeding increases your risk of being in a collision,” said Andrew Cartmell, president and CEO of SGI, in a statement.
“We see this play out time and time again in Saskatchewan. Tougher consequences under the SDR program should help ensure speeders get the message to slow down.”
Cartmell added that when drivers get behind the wheel, the “decisions you make can be literally life or death for you, your passengers and other people on the road.
“It’s a responsibility we all need to understand and take seriously. Our intention in strengthening the SDR program is to better recognize those of you who have done that, and to give everyone else more reason to think about the choices they’re making when they drive.”
