Pothole hit also dings car insurance

A Saskatoon man who ran into a pothole says the provincial auto insurance company should not be deducting points from his driving record because of the claim.

Dakota Sabash told CBC News that he had six points deducted from his driving record following a 2011 claim submitted to Saskatchewan Government Insurance over damage from a pothole.

"I called SGI and let them know what happened to the vehicle and they told me, since I knew of the issue prior to that, they could do nothing for me," Sabash explained.

As a result, Sabash was on the hook for $500 in repairs to his car and the insurance company deducted six points from his driving record.

"I was pretty choked about it," Sabash said.

According to SGI, Sabash was aware of the road condition and was considered at fault for the damage.

But Sabash said that is not a fair approach.

"[Potholes] pop up over night," he pointed out. "I don't think that SGI should demote a driver points on his license because they hit a pothole that they thought was there or has moved or changed."

Sabash has contacted the city about the damage to his car, but has not heard back from anyone.

A spokeswoman for SGI told CBC News that when a driver is at fault in a collision with a pothole, the company will take points off a license.