FCSA or SAAQ: what do your records say?
To set your automobile insurance premium, your insurer relies on the risk you represent, that is, the probability that you will have an accident or that a claim involving you will occur. This evaluation considers a range of factors such as the vehicle you drive, how you use it, where you live and your driver profile. This profile is established using your age and gender but also by using your driving record with the Société d’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) and your claims history in the Fichier central des sinistres automobiles (FCSA). Here’s what sets these two types of records apart.
Driving record at the Société d’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ)
What’s in your driving record:
Your driving record is a record of your driving status and behaviour, like the validity of your driver’s licence, years of driving experience, classes of vehicles you are licensed to drive, Highway Safety Code infractions and resulting demerit points.
Fichier central des sinistres automobiles (FCSA)
What your Claims History Statement includes:
Managed by the Groupement des assureurs automobiles (GAA), this database includes incidents in which you have been involved in the province for the past six years. These may be incidents that you have (or not) reported or for which you have (or not) made a claim.
For collisions involving two or more vehicles, there may be two versions of events in your record: the one sent by your insurer to whom you made a claim and the one sent by the insurer of the driver with whom you had the accident. Therefore, it’s possible that an incident may be logged in your record even if you did not report it to your insurer or made a claim yourself.
An incident is added to the record of the person who had custody of the vehicle at the time of the event—not necessarily the owner of the vehicle or the insured driver. For example, if a family member borrows your vehicle for a move and has a fender bender, the event will be added to that person’s record.
Answer questions honestly
Whether it’s your Highway Safety Code violations, demerit points, or accidents in which you’ve been involved, be honest with the broker or agent with whom you’re shopping for insurance. The answers to these questions are required to determine your insurance premium.
Failure to answer could result in unfavourable consequences if your insurer discovers that you’ve lied.
Fichier central des sinistres automobiles
accident
claims file
custodian of the vehicle
