Another reason to live in Burlington - driving behaviour

By Gazette Staff

December 17th, 2025

BURLINGTON, ON

Another reason to live in Burlington – even if the taxes are too high and you can’t afford the rent.

How many insurance claims will this work out to?

Rising auto insurance costs in Ontario may be changing how drivers handle collisions. A study examines the relationship between reported accident history and high-risk driving behaviour across Ontario cities, identifying municipalities where these two measures diverge in unusual ways, patterns that may point to accident-reporting anomalies.

See the full report here: https://www.mychoice.ca/blog/ontario-cities-with-largest-accident-reporting-gaps/

Key Findings:

• 

  The population is higher now; in the 190 range

  Ontario drivers see an average 96% increase in car insurance premiums at renewal after an at-fault accident.

• With the average Ontario premium now ~$1,900, a single at-fault collision can push annual costs to $3,700+, often for multiple years.
• Brampton, Belleville, and Peterborough show the largest gaps between dangerous driving behaviour and reported accidents, suggesting potential underreporting.
• Several mid-sized cities, including Brantford, Scarborough, and North Bay, also show risky driving patterns that outpace reported collision history.
• Toronto and Ottawa show minimal ticket–accident gaps, indicating accident reporting aligns more closely with driving behaviour in major urban centres.
• At the opposite end, cities such as Kingston, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, and Burlington report accidents at higher rates than dangerous driving tickets, suggesting collisions are more likely to be formally reported.

When even a minor at-fault collision can add nearly $1,800 per year in insurance costs, often lasting three to six years, many drivers face a difficult financial decision. With bumper and sensor repairs frequently costing $1,500–$2,000 and most drivers carrying $1,000+ deductibles, settling repairs out of pocket can appear cheaper in the short term, even if it creates long-term risk distortions.