All BC residents are entitled to certain protections from ICBC, even when no one in their household has Autoplan insurance. Thus, any motor vehicle accident you're involved in within Canada or the United States should be reported to the ICBC Dial-A-Claim Centre.

If you were driving a BC-licensed car and may have been at fault, ICBC will defend you from any claims made against you. To the degree you weren't at fault, they'll also cover the cost of repairing or replacing your car if the at-fault driver comes from an area of Canada or the United States where the right to recover losses is prohibited.

You're entitled to Part 7 (no-fault) accident benefits from ICBC - which include reasonable medical and rehab expenses - if you were in a BC-licensed car. You're also entitled to Part 7 benefits as a pedestrian or cyclist provided you or someone in your household has Autoplan insurance - or the accident happened in Canada (but not the United States) and the car that hit you is licensed in BC.

ICBC won't pay more than their standard rates for medical-rehab treatment as a no-fault benefit. If an out-of-province service provider charges more than ICBC's negotiated in-province rates, you'll have to pay the excess amount. If you weren't at fault, you may get back this money as part of a claim for damages.

Since ICBC won't provide you with accident benefits that you're entitled to get from another source, you'll first have to try to get coverage for your medical costs from an out-of-province at-fault driver or her insurer. You may be entitled to no-fault benefits from the provincial auto insurer in the province where the accident happened. If you're injured in an accident in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba or Saskatchewan, you may be entitled to more than ICBC's upper limit of $150,000 in no-fault benefits.

As a BC resident, if you weren't at fault in your accident and the driver that hit you was uninsured or it was a hit-and-run accident, you're entitled to damages from ICBC's Uninsured-Unidentified Motorist Protection Fund if your accident happened in an area of Canada or the United States where no similar fund exists to cover these claims. Medical-rehab costs that haven't been paid by ICBC or another insurer may be paid to you as part of your damages.

When an at-fault driver doesn't have enough liability insurance to pay your medical costs, or to compensate you to the degree that you're entitled, ICBC's Underinsured Motorist Protection (UMP) Fund will cover you for up to $1 million (or more, with extended UMP coverage) - provided you or someone in your household has a valid BC driver's license and doesn't owe money to ICBC. (You can also buy a stand-alone UMP policy.) Your UMP award will be reduced by any benefits you've received (or are entitled to) from any source, including Part 7 (no-fault) accident benefits; Uninsured-Unidentified Motorist Protection; and money from an at-fault driver or her insurer.