Got a windshield chip? ICBC may fix for free

In this June 24, 2015, file photo, afternoon rush our traffic moves along a highway in Phoenix, Arizona. (AP / Ross D. Franklin)

VANCOUVER - British Columbia's public automobile insurer is expanding its optional comprehensive coverage to include some windshield repairs.

The Insurance Corporation of B.C. has issued a news release saying the change is aimed at managing insurance rates, cutting material damage costs and improving service to customers.

Drivers with optional comprehensive coverage can now have a windshield chip repaired for free, as long as it is safe and appropriate to do so.

According to the corporation, glass repairs can add approximately $8 million per year to insurance rates.

It says since 2010, windshield replacement claims have climbed 17 per cent in frequency and nearly 30 per cent in cost.

But the news release says improved chip repair technology has encouraged the corporation to consider repairing rather than insisting on replacing some windshields.

"Moving toward windshield repair rather than full replacement -- when possible -- is something that will hugely benefit residents in my community and more rural parts of B.C.," Donna Barnett, Minister of State for Rural Economic Development, says in the statement.

The insurance corporation says of the 109,800 windshield replacement claims handled in 2016, the average replacement cost was approximately $820, while a typical windshield chip repair cost less than $70.