Ontario has added yet another vehicle-related change to its to-do list: upping the threshold for Property Damage Only (PBO) collision reporting from $2,000 to $5,000.
This change, if implemented, would more than double the damage value required before a crash must be reported to police.
The proposed change is not a done deal yet, however.
Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria told CTV News the PBO collision reporting proposal is in response to the dollar threshold remaining dormant at $2,000 since 2015.
“We’ve heard some challenges that people have with respect to getting to reporting centres,” Mr. Sarkaria said. “As technology advances, as cars advance, we’ve also seen the price of vehicles increase, and many other factors that feed into that threshold of $2,000.”
Even if the change is approved, drivers will still have the choice to report a minor collision if they wish, but it will no longer be mandatory. This, the province has said, will reduce the burden on law enforcement.
The key to making the change work for everyone, Mr. Sarkaria said, is to ensure it does not have a major impact on insurance rates, which have risen substantially in the past five years. A 2022 Ontario auditor general report showed that auto insurance premiums had risen approximately 14 percent since 2017.
If approved by the Legislature, the ban would apply to the 400-series highways, with the exception of Highway 407, as well as the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway once they are uploaded to the province.
If Ontario does opt to up the PBO reporting threshold, it would be following in Alberta’s wake. The province implemented the same measures that Ontario is proposing as of Jan. 1.
Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen said the change would more accurately reflect the rising cost of auto repairs.
