The province’s new auto insurance reforms take effect Wednesday will be detrimental for consumers, says a Toronto personal injury lawyer.

Some consumers will be too confused by the jargon of the 41 new legislative reforms, they won’t know how to ensure they get the coverage they need.

“They are not going to help consumers, they are horrific,” lawyer Sandra Zisckind said Monday. “It comes down to money at the end of the day. The insurance bureau was saying they were spending on average $40,000 a case.

“The average family in Ontario can’t afford it,” Zisckind said. “This is not government protection for the consumer, it’s the government protecting the insurance companies.”

Major changes in the new standard auto insurance policy include a 50% cut to $50,000 from $100,000 in medical and rehabilitation benefits, and in attendant care benefits, to $36,000 from $72,000.

Income replacement coverage also took a hit, to 70% from 80% of gross income, with a maximum of $400 per week and housekeeping and caregiver benefits will only be allowed for “catastrophic injuries.”

The province contends the reforms give consumers choice.

“It allows consumers to decide what best meets their needs and tailoring their auto insurance package to that,” Finance Minister Dwight Duncan’s press secretary Andrew Chornenky said. “The $50,000 for medical and rehab is still the most generous across Canada for the non-public auto insurance provinces.”

People can increase coverage by buying more insurance, he said.

But motorists won’t see changes until their policies are due, Chornenky said.

The changes will be reviewed in 2014, Chornenky said.

Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario president Bryan Yetman said tailoring auto insurance will help those who don’t require child care or can balance off what’s being offered with workplace insurance.

“Over the past couple years insurance companies have been increasing premiums by 17% annually and those costs for consumers aren’t sustainable,” Yetman said.

Private insurance companies lost $1.2 billion in Ontario’s auto section since 2008, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

Yetman recommends drivers call their insurance brokers for explanations about the changes. Insurance companies must distribute three notices informing policy holders of the reforms.