OAP 1 is organized into six numbered sections (plus general provisions, statutory conditions, and endorsements). Knowing what lives in which section orients you on the exam.
- Section 1, Introduction. Definitions, who is insured, and how the policy operates. Defines "insured automobile", "insured person", "named insured", and key terms.
- Section 2, Liability Coverage. Third-party bodily injury and property damage liability arising out of the ownership, use, or operation of the automobile.
- Section 3, Accident Benefits. The Statutory Accident Benefits (no-fault), payable regardless of who caused the collision. The detail of the benefits is in the SABS regulation, O. Reg. 34/10.
- Section 4, Uninsured Automobile Coverage. Compensation when the at-fault driver is uninsured or unidentified (hit-and-run). Mandatory in Ontario.
- Section 5, Direct Compensation, Property Damage (DCPD). Damage to the insured vehicle and its contents when the insured is not at fault and the at-fault driver is identified and insured in Ontario.
- Section 6, Loss or Damage Coverage (optional). Physical damage to the insured automobile itself: Collision, Comprehensive, All Perils, or Specified Perils, the insured chooses.
Section 6 is the only physical-damage coverage that is optional; sections 2, 3, 4, and 5 are mandatory under Ontario law. Liability limits, deductibles, and endorsement choices live in the declarations page (the "decs"), which is part of the contract.
Common mistake: thinking DCPD is collision coverage. It is not. DCPD (Section 5) is the not-at-fault property pathway that exists because of the no-fault structure; Section 6 collision is the at-fault (or single-vehicle) physical damage pathway.
🧠 Memory hook, "L-A-U-D-L": Liability, Accident benefits Uninsured, DCPD, Loss or damage. First four mandatory; last optional.
Recall: Which OAP 1 sections are mandatory in Ontario? What does Section 5 cover that Section 6 collision does not?