The BC Highway Patrol is using a pair of eerily similar crashes that happened near each other less than an hour apart as a reminder about the importance of auto insurance.
It’s proof of the old adage that “you don’t need insurance until you need it,” police say.
The two incidents happened on Monday, July 23, with the BCHP responding to the first at 8:37 am on Hwy 1 near Popkum.
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Speed was reportedly a factor as an uninsured 28-year-old from Rosedale flipped his older-model Toyota pickup with one passenger inside.
The man received a $598 ticket for driving without insurance and a $196 fine for driving without consideration.
Just 40 minutes later and not far down the highway, BCHP officers responded to another collision where speed was said to be a factor.
This time a 34-year-old Nanaimo woman with two passengers went off an embankment in an older-model Mazda SUV.
She received the exact same two tickets and fines as the Rosedale man did minutes earlier.
“Choosing to drive without insurance puts you on the hook for tickets, the tow, all the repairs for your vehicle and even higher premiums when you finally get insurance,” explained Cpl. Michael McLaughlin.
“Why not follow the rules in the first place, slow down and enjoy the drive, and avoid all the extra headache.”
McLaughlin said nobody was physically hurt in either crash, but both drivers will be “feeling the pain in their pocketbooks.”
