Thoughts on Black Box Technology

Black box technology if you haven’t heard of it is the practice of putting a bit of kit in your car to monitor how you’re driving. It’s become a bit of a political issue recently, with pressure now mounting on insurers to offer this telematics equipment to drivers as part of the crack down on high premiums.

There seems to be no getting away from the fact that the insurance industry will need to embrace this technology sooner rather than later to help young drivers manage soaring premiums. However, in my opinion, more must be done to help young motorists stay safe and acquire reasonably priced insurance first.

As a first step, insurers should trim down the cost of learning to drive in the family car. Novice drivers are as safe as any other faction on the road – the risks only increase when solo-driving begins.

Insurers should also consider giving discounts to youngsters who are responsible enough to take further training after passing the test. Research shows many new drivers would welcome extra instruction.

Black box technology certainly has a role to play, but can curb the freedom to gain experience on particular roads and at certain times of the day. In most cases, the detailed data on driving style and skill deficits recorded by them goes unused. The best function for black boxes really, is to point out where new drivers need additional help.

And that’s backed up by a recent AA survey. It highlighted that preventable tragedies – most common in the first six months after passing the driving test – can be avoided if black box technology was embraced.