How it works:

The Safety Zone - discounts

For every year since 1995 that you have driven without an incident, you earn a safety point. Each point in the Safety Zone corresponds to a discount on your vehicle plate insurance, to a maximum of 25%.

Even if you don't own a vehicle, a positive rating in the Safety Zone is beneficial to you. It protects all safe drivers from financial penalties if they are involved in future incidents.

You only receive a financial penalty for an incident if it causes you to lose enough points to move you to the Penalty Zone on the scale. As long as you remain in the Safety Zone, you continue to receive some level of discount.

You’re eligible for a Safe Driver Recognition discount on your registered motorcycle plates, if you get:

• To the Novice 2 stage of the Motorcycle Graduated Driver Licensing program and take an SGI -approved motorcycle training course, or
• Your full M Endorsement.

3 discount zones

• Good Drivers Zone (+1 to +10) – If you’re in the Good Drivers Zone, you have earned enough safety rating points to receive a discount on your basic vehicle insurance. For each year you drive incident-free, you earn a safety rating point that gives you 2% off your basic vehicle insurance.
• Great Drivers Zone (+11 to +20) – If you’re in the Great Drivers Zone, you have earned enough safety rating points to receive a 20% discount on your basic vehicle insurance, plus you have earned a cushion to shield you from losing some or all of your discount if you cause a collision or get traffic convictions in the future.
• Safest Drivers Zone (+21 to +25) – If you’re in the Safest Drivers Zone, you have driven incident-free for more than 20 years. You earn an extra 1% discount for each additional year you drive incident-free up to a maximum discount of 25%.

The Penalty Zone - financial penalties

Drivers lose points for unsafe driving - such as being at fault for a collision or certain traffic convictions and roadside suspensions. Driving disqualifications automatically move drivers to -20 orlower, regardless of where they were on the scale prior.

Financial penalties are assessed for incidents that result in a safety rating below zero.

• You're assessed a financial penalty of $50 for each point you move in the Penalty Zone (capped at a maximum penalty of $1,000).
• The further an incident moves you into the Penalty Zone, the more you pay for that incident. The maximum penalty noted above applies to most incidents, with the exception of certain Criminal Code convictions. The maximum penalty for a Criminal Code conviction is $2,500, which is for offences that result in bodily injury or death.

Motorists are assessed the penalty immediately and have 90 days to pay the charge. These penalties are in addition to fines handed out by law enforcement for traffic convictions.

Moving out of the Penalty Zone

Each year of incident-free driving moves you one point back towards the Safety Zone. As long as you are moving towards the Safety Zone, you don't pay another financial penalty - you pay only your basic vehicle insurance premium. In other words, you don't pay your way out of the Penalty Zone - you drive your way out of the Penalty Zone through safe driving.

After three consecutive years of safe driving, drivers still remaining in the Penalty Zone automatically move out of the Penalty Zone and return to neutral (the starting point), and can begin to earn points towards a discount again.

For further information visit sgi.sk.ca/sdr.