SGI’s Safe Driver Recognition program is changing in just over a month.
Starting Oct. 12, a speeding conviction will now come with a harsher penalty. Drivers will lose points for all speeding convictions – except photo radar convictions – and in some cases, the number of points a driver loses for a speeding infraction is increasing.
Also, drivers responsible for collisions will lose points based on the severity of the crash – four points for claim payouts under $700 and six points for claim payouts of $700 or more.
According to a news release from SGI, 30 people were killed and 872 injured in 1,954 speed-related crashes in Saskatchewan in 2014.
The safety rating scale will also grow by one point a year for the next five years, from +20 to +25. As the scale grows, drivers with the safest records will earn higher discounts on their insurance, reaching 25 per cent when the scale reaches its maximum in 2020.
Financial penalties will double from $25 to $50 per point in the penalty zone.