The points system and ICBC

Driver penalty points are like black marks on your driver’s record. You get them when you commit certain driving offences. The number of points varies depending on the type of offence. For example, speeding tickets earn you three points, while distracted driving earns you four. ICBC lists the number of penalty points for each type of driving offence.

If you get more than three points in a one-year period, you have to pay a driver penalty point premium. This is an extra amount that’s separate from any fine for the offence. It’s also over and above your regular Autoplan insurance premiums.

Every year, ICBC looks at the number of penalty points you collected in a 12-month period. (They call this your “assessment period.”) If four or more points have been added to your driver’s record since your last assessment, you’ll be billed a penalty point premium.

The more points you have, the higher the premium. For example, say ICBC looks at your record and sees you only have three penalty points for a speeding offence in the assessment period. This is below the four-point threshold, so you wouldn’t pay a premium. But say you got two speeding tickets in your assessment period. In this case, you’d have six penalty points, resulting in a penalty point premium of $367. See ICBC’s website for details.

Tickets and driver penalty points stay on your driver’s record for five years. But you only pay the penalty point premium once. You’ll get a bill just before your assessment date, which is usually your birthday.

If you don’t pay the bill for a driver penalty point premium within 30 days, ICBC will charge you interest. ICBC can also refuse to renew your vehicle insurance until you pay. Also, you won’t be able to renew your driver’s licence if you don’t pay a driver premium bill.

If you give up your driver’s licence to an ICBC driver licensing office for the whole one-year billing period, you won’t have to pay the bill.

Or you can reduce a driver premium bill by giving up your licence for 30 days or more during the billing period. When you want your licence back, go to a driver licensing office and pay the reduced bill, plus any extra licence fees. But this works only if you do not have to take a driver re-examination and don’t have any outstanding driving prohibitions.

ICBC will reduce a driver penalty point premium bill if you’ve been prohibited or legally banned from driving for 60 days or more in the billing period. It usually does this automatically, but you may have to ask it to do so and to prove your situation. 

Also, you can apply to ICBC for a refund or reduction if, for at least 30 days in a row during the billing period, any of the following apply:

• you lived in another province and legally held a driver’s licence there

• you were not in Canada or the US

• you were in jail

• you had medical reasons for not driving

Again, you may have to prove your case to ICBC.

As a rule of thumb, those with a class five licence (the basic licence) get a driving prohibition if they get nine to 11 points. For those with a class seven licence (the new or learner’s licence), it’s four points. However, that’s not the whole picture. ICBC has the final say about whether to issue a prohibition.

In coming to a decision, ICBC will look at the circumstances behind why you got the points. For example, imagine a class five driver with six points on their record. The points came from three tickets for the same two-point offence — failing to yield to pedestrians. ICBC may decide to issue a driving prohibition even though they’re below the nine-point threshold. Because a dangerous pattern of conduct is on display here, in their view.