Operation "Joint report" - A new squad sets up in Montreal

MONTREAL , Nov. 30 /CNW Telbec/ - Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) will be deploying its "Joint Report" squad in various public places in the Greater Montreal area from November 30 to December 4 . The objective of the operation is to make a mass distribution of the Joint Report and encourage drivers to keep it handy in their glove compartment.

IBC and the City of Montreal police force (SPVM) are working together to publicize the Joint Report and, especially, to promote its use after a collision with no injury.

It has been 30 years

The Joint Report first made its way into our glove compartments in 1979. "When you have a Joint Report, you don't need to call the police for a simple fender bender. The Joint Report is a simple tool that you can complete easily if you're involved in a collision in which no one is injured. It allows the parties involved to identify themselves and to report the accident to their respective insurer as quickly as possible", noted Jack Chadirdjian, Public Affairs Director at the Insurance Bureau of Canada .

Well known, but little used

A recent SOM poll commissioned by IBC revealed that the general public knows about the Joint Report. Two thirds of respondents (67%) said they were very familiar or fairly familiar with it. And yet, the Joint Report is not widely used. Things are a little different in the Montreal area with a 58% usage rate while, in Quebec City, nearly one in two drivers (48%) involved in a collision with no injuries used the Joint Report to report the accident to his or her insurance company. In the rest of the province, the Joint Report is only used by one in four drivers (28%).

In fact, the Joint Report offers drivers two clear advantages: not only does it simplify claim settlement, it also speeds it up.

The SPVM: a strategic partner

"The City of Montreal police force encourages drivers to use the Joint Report, which will allow us to more effectively allocate our resources where they are most needed. Our officers, in fact, are already promoting the Joint Report when they go to the scene of an accident with material damage only," noted Inspector André Durocher of the SPVM's Road safety and traffic division.

Some misconceptions

The blitz is also aimed at clearing up misconceptions that drivers have:

    
    I prefer to call the police for a collision; it's safer that way
    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    The SOM survey revealed that a majority of respondents (59%) believe -
wrongly - that when the police are called to the accident scene, it is they
who establish the liability of each party involved in the collision. In fact,
it is the insurance company which determines its client's degree of fault
based on the Direct Compensation Agreement (DCA).

    The Joint Report acknowledges liability
    ---------------------------------------

    While almost nine in 10 drivers (88%) are right in affirming that the
Joint Report identifies the parties involved in a collision, two-thirds (68%)
are barking up the wrong tree by thinking that filling in the Report
constitutes an admission of liability.
    Each driver's fault is established using the scenarios described in the
DCA, based on the provisions of the Highway Safety Code and jurisprudence.

    Some advice

      - Be forward looking - keep a copy of the Joint Report in your glove
        compartment.
      - You're not superstitious, are you? Fill it in advance. If you're
        involved in a fender bender, this simple step will save you precious
        minutes.
      - If no one is injured, remain calm and courteous. This will help make
        this formality easier. Remember that the Joint Report is still the
        best way to identify the parties involved as well as describe the
        circumstances of the accident.
      - If the driver of the other car refuses to identify himself or
        herself, refuses to complete his or her section of the Joint Report
        or leaves the scene, write down the car's licence plate number and
        call the police.
      - Lastly, if someone is injured, even slightly, it's important that you
        call 9-1-1.
    

For more information or to order your Joint Report

Web site: www.infoinsurance.ca/JointReport

Insurance Information Centre: 1 877 288-4321

    
    Joint Report Survey
    Fact Sheet

    Objective
    The objective of the survey is to assess how well known the Joint Report
is among adults in Quebec, on the occasion of its 30th anniversary.

    Target population
    Adults in Quebec (age 18 and over)

    Representative sample
    1 006 individuals

    Medium
    Telephone interviews carried out for SOM from June 17 to June 26, 2009

    Weighting
    Weighted to ensure sound representation based on age, sex, mother tongue,
highest diploma, as well as individuals living alone.

    Margin of error
    Collectively: 4.0% (confidence level of 95%).


    Survey results

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Elsewhere
                                                                in     Total
                                      Montreal    Quebec    Quebec  Province
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Following an accident without
     injury
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    - Completed a Joint Report              58%       48%       28%       43%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    - Called the police                     47%       51%       55%       51%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Police called to the accident
     scene
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    - Completed a Joint Report              18%        4%        5%       10%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    - Completed an accident report          72%       83%       89%       82%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Level of knowledge about the
     Joint Report
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    - Is very familiar or quite
       familiar with the Joint Report       65%       69%       68%       67%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    - Is somewhat familiar or not at
       all familiar with the Joint
       Report                               33%       28%       30%       31%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    - Had a Joint Report in the glove
       compartment                          57%       54%       52%       55%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    - Believes the Joint Report
       acknowledges liability               73%       66%       68%       70%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    - Believes that the police
       determine each party's
       fault in a fender bender             46%       51%       59%       52%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    - Considers the Joint Report
       a straightforward and
       easy-to-complete tool                83%       89%       81%       83%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    - Believes the Joint Report
       speeds up claim settlement           38%       30%       28%       33%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Auto insurance data

    Passenger cars
    Province of Quebec and regions, 2009 (first three quarters / January to
    September)

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         Insur-  Average           Collision
                                          ance       pre-       vs       fre-
    Region                              rate(1)   mium(2)   2008(3) quency(4)
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Bas-Saint-Laurent                       70%     $407      -0.6%      3.0%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Chaudière-Appalaches (excluding
     Quebec City suburbs)                   72%     $425      -0.8%      2.9%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Abitibi-Témiscaminque                   64%     $431      -2.2%      3.5%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Mauricie                                75%     $448      -0.6%      3.3%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Saguenay - Lac-Saint-Jean               70%     $458      -1.1%      4.1%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Québec City                             77%     $463      -0.6%      3.5%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Centre-du-Québec                        74%     $467      -1.7%      2.9%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Gaspésie - Îles-de-la-Madeleine         67%     $468    stable       3.1%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Estrie                                  75%     $487      -2.6%      3.2%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Chaudière-Appalaches
     (Quebec City suburbs)                  84%     $488      +0.2%      4.3%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Montérégie (excluding
     Montreal suburbs)                      75%     $505      -1.8%      3.2%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Côte-Nord                               70%     $505      -0.7%      3.3%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Capitale-Nationale (excluding
     Quebec City)                           85%     $517      -0.1%      4.9%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Outaouais                               78%     $543      -0.5%      3.6%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Montérégie (Montreal Suburbs)           82%     $575      -1.8%      4.0%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Laurentides                             79%     $577      -2.2%      3.8%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Lanaudière                              77%     $584      -1.8%      3.9%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Nord-du-Québec                          71%     $654      -2.3%      2.4%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Laval                                   82%     $676      -2.1%      4.9%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Montréal (West)                         82%     $689      -2.2%      5.4%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Montréal (Centre and East)              76%     $747      -2.9%      6.2%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total Province                          77%     $553      -1.7%      4.1%
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Source: Groupement des assureurs automobiles (2009).

    Notes

    1. Percentage of drivers whose vehicle is insured for personal damages
       (resulting from an at-fault collision or upset).
    2. Average insurance premium paid to auto insurance company (cumulative
       for the first three quarters of 2009). Does not include insurance
       contributions of $144 charged by SAAQ (driver's licence and car
       registration combined).
    3. Compared to the first three quarters of 2008.
    4. Claims frequency for collision (cumulative for the first three
       quarters of 2009).
       Frequency of 4.0% means that one in 25 policyholders made a claim
       following a collision with another vehicle.
    

For further information: Alexandre Royer, Public Affairs Advisor, Insurance Bureau of Canada, [phone], ext. 232, Cell: [phone]; Media relations section, SPVM, [phone]