SGI and What can we Do
Saskatchewan Government Insurance, better
known as SGI. Once again SGI is going to raise motorcycle insurance rates in
the province of Saskatchewan without even the least bit of gilt of how this is
affecting people. Before I go any further I have to say I am very well aware on
how the insurance industry works whether it is private insurance or government
insurance, whether it is here or in my home province of Manitoba. I also know
that trying to get private insurance back in either province just won’t happen
and for good reason, and although it doesn’t look like government insurance
working for us and that private insurance is working all over the place because
you have a choice is simply not true.
Also motorcycle insurance has very little
to do with the cost of the motorcycle but more with the amount of injury that
happens when a motorcyclist is in a serious accident, more money is paid out,
more benefits are paid, therefore more money needs to be collected, so just
because your ride a $500 motorcycle doesn’t mean you can’t collect just as much
or as many benefits as the person with the larger motorcycle….you get hit by a
car you get hurt, severely no matter what you ride, just common sense, think
about it.
Some people say, “Well my driving record
speaks to that”, well not really, your driving record simply means you haven’t
been caught or you haven’t reported an at fault accident. I know dozens of
people who have not reported at fault accidents because they don’t want to pay
the extra on their insurance and their lic, so just having a good driving
record really doesn’t mean a hell of a lot. I also know a lot of people that
speed all the time and how many of us watch as numerous people go thru red
lights and stop signs when making right hand turns and never get caught. There
has to be a better way, a really better way.
Let’s do a little eye opening on both sides
of the coin.
Private insurance
This is À la carte which simply
means you get a very basic package so that you can plate your motorcycle and
ride on the road and add any extras as you see fit. Of course you pay for
everything you add, extra liability, lower deductible, and more coverage for
your bike, income recovery coverage, AD&D benefits, etc.
So with this in mind you cannot compare
private insurance to most government insurance because most government
insurance gives everything in the one package, it is like comparing apples and
oranges.
Also most private insurance companies cover
everything from homes, life, boat, car, motorcycle and do this with one policy
and do this across the country.
Government Insurance
Most are the Cadillac of insurances, most
cover everything in one. Most only cover vehicle per package, all others are
separate. Also for the most part the Government insurance is in your home province
only so they are limited to the amount of people they can cover.
I have seen people try and compare SGI to
American insurance which is simply unfair. Most American insurance can cover
all of the America’s which is about 350 million people, where SGI can cover
maybe 1 million people, big difference which shows up in the price.
This may look like I am defending SGI when
I am not but just trying to get people to understand how things run, as well
another reason you will not see private insurance enter is because of the huge
infrastructure that is in place, you cannot simply dismantle something like
that, it just won’t happen.
Now with all that being said what can be
done to stop their attitude of let’s just throw more money at this problem and
where do they get more money, the buyer of their insurance.
Ok, here in my opinion is what people
should be doing, in full force; you need to get SGI’s attention:
1.
Send emails, written letters,
phone calls, etc to all the MLA’s, SGI executive and Brad Wall himself telling
them you are simply fed up with this attitude of throwing more money at a
situation rather than fixing the problem
2.
Higher insurance rates are not
the answer, stopping the accidents, education people, increasing fines etc is
the answer.
3.
Quit blaming one sector of the
driving public, namely motorcycles for the money loss at SGI.
4.
Go to all the Rate Review
Hearings/meetings you can go to, clog their internet, their snail mail, the
halls where the meetings are held, etc.
5.
Do this as a consolidated
group, not a few people who say they are the head of a group but do it for
themselves, the notoriety, no do it for all motorcyclists.
6.
Do not wait back and let
someone else do it, it won’t get done, do it now.
Ok those are some of my thoughts, here is
something else I have been thinking about, getting a National organization going;
that may seem like a tall order but it has been done before and can be done
again. I mean the NRA down in the states started with just a few people and now
the federal government is in fear of losing their jobs if they don’t listen to
it. Unifor one of the strongest unions in Canada started many years ago as
several small unions now they are over 300,000 strong. So people need to get
together and think of what they might be able to do as a huge group, this is
happening across Canada, higher insurance rates, noise bylaws, banning
motorcycles from parking lots, banning motorcycles from riding in too large a
group, and on and on and on.
We need to get a national organization
something like CNMA (Canadian National Motorcycle Organization). We as
motorcyclists need to find people that are willing to step up to the plate, not
those that are trying to make a name for them or have no respect for opinions,
suggestions, questions. NO MORE wannabe’s, no more people crying about the time
they have to put in, no more conflict of interest people, we need true blue
motorcyclists, people who really want to change, change for the good, for the
betterment of the sport, the riding, the living, don’t let the government tie
you down, remember the government works for you, they are your employees, make
them listen NOW.
Questions, Comments, Suggestions, and
Opinions, all are welcome, but remember there are those that will disagree, and
start something new, listen, read, learn. I will not delete, remove or ban
anyone from posting honest sincere ideas, opinions, questions, etc. If I do not
know the answer I will find the answer. Let’s start the ball rolling here and
NOW.
