Car Insurance black box thingies
Discussion
Was just hunting round for quotes for my renewal in September and found that the cheapest quote I could get was from from an insurer who wanted to fit a device to my car to measure my driving. Now I've heard of these before, but never given them a lot of thought. Other than telling me that the device had to be installed by a fitter and that it determined how safe a driver I was, the call centre guy couldn't really tell me much about the technical aspects of the box. He did say the box gave you an idea of how you were getting on so the outcome wasn't a surprise.
Having this box comes with a financial incentive. If the box determined I was in the top 20% of safe drivers I would get a rebate on my premium that could be as much as 20% depending on just how safe it thought I was. But, if the box determined I was a poor driver I would in fact owe them more money, upto to 20% of the original premium.
Incidentally, the premium is only £16 more for cover without the box.
For a number of reasons, I wont be entertaining this device in my car, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience of having one, how it worked out and how it knows if you're driving safely or not.
Having this box comes with a financial incentive. If the box determined I was in the top 20% of safe drivers I would get a rebate on my premium that could be as much as 20% depending on just how safe it thought I was. But, if the box determined I was a poor driver I would in fact owe them more money, upto to 20% of the original premium.
Incidentally, the premium is only £16 more for cover without the box.
For a number of reasons, I wont be entertaining this device in my car, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience of having one, how it worked out and how it knows if you're driving safely or not.
blueST said:
Was just hunting round for quotes for my renewal in September and found that the cheapest quote I could get was from from an insurer who wanted to fit a device to my car to measure my driving. Now I've heard of these before, but never given them a lot of thought. Other than telling me that the device had to be installed by a fitter and that it determined how safe a driver I was, the call centre guy couldn't really tell me much about the technical aspects of the box. He did say the box gave you an idea of how you were getting on so the outcome wasn't a surprise.
Having this box comes with a financial incentive. If the box determined I was in the top 20% of safe drivers I would get a rebate on my premium that could be as much as 20% depending on just how safe it thought I was. But, if the box determined I was a poor driver I would in fact owe them more money, upto to 20% of the original premium.
Incidentally, the premium is only £16 more for cover without the box.
For a number of reasons, I wont be entertaining this device in my car, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience of having one, how it worked out and how it knows if you're driving safely or not.
GPS and accelerometers presumably, no more technology than is employed in a mobile phone. Having this box comes with a financial incentive. If the box determined I was in the top 20% of safe drivers I would get a rebate on my premium that could be as much as 20% depending on just how safe it thought I was. But, if the box determined I was a poor driver I would in fact owe them more money, upto to 20% of the original premium.
Incidentally, the premium is only £16 more for cover without the box.
For a number of reasons, I wont be entertaining this device in my car, but I was wondering if anyone had any experience of having one, how it worked out and how it knows if you're driving safely or not.
AIUI , they will contain an accelerometer and measure sudden acceleration , braking or cornering .
It is not inconceivable that a driver who starts off slowly , then progresses to 35 or 40 everywhere , too fast for town and a downright nuisance on the highway ; the kind who causes lots of crashes but is uninvolved in the mayhem they leave in their wake , will score highly on these boxes .
I also will not have them in any of my cars .
Consistent high scores in regularly taken advanced driving tests , conducted by experienced and qualified examiners is the way to go .
It is not inconceivable that a driver who starts off slowly , then progresses to 35 or 40 everywhere , too fast for town and a downright nuisance on the highway ; the kind who causes lots of crashes but is uninvolved in the mayhem they leave in their wake , will score highly on these boxes .
I also will not have them in any of my cars .
Consistent high scores in regularly taken advanced driving tests , conducted by experienced and qualified examiners is the way to go .
Changedmyname said:
This has me wondering weather it will catch on,and in say 10 years all insurance companies will insist on them being fitted to all new cars.
Big Brother is watching.
But it's completely and utterly ridiculous. I can actually see it being banned sooner than introduced universally. In some situations heavy braking or avoiding action is an absolute necessity, and what happens when people are reluctant to do it? Beyond idiotic.Big Brother is watching.
I hate the thought of them. But unfortunately if more people start using them, then we're in trouble. One of the major comparison sites is running a tv ad for them (confuzzled). They're appealing to what they call "good drivers". Judge for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-mZXk2FvE
Just remember that they cannot be turned off, are not capable of judging the mayhem you're causing and encourage you to drive like a t
t! I'll never have one fitted out of choice!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_A-mZXk2FvE
Just remember that they cannot be turned off, are not capable of judging the mayhem you're causing and encourage you to drive like a t
t! I'll never have one fitted out of choice!Would definitely not put one in my car that was not under my control!
Have one (a Roadhawk, bought from DogCamSport) and it is good. On a rolling loop of 8hrs, records video, sound, logs GPS and hence speed, uses accelerometers for measuring G and automatically logs "shock" events. Bought as I drive 30k miles a year a lot of which is on single track roads and I got fed up with knock for knock accidents when it definitely wasn't my fault (other insurance companies will accept responsibility no problem at all if it's clearly not your fault but the police don't seem to be able to compute no skid marks behind your car, 15m behind other car as evidence of a likely cause)! Haven't used it for accident purposes yet but have used to supply evidence to the police of a road rage incident and a dodgy character scoping out work.
If it wasn't under my control it would be totally different as I said (Have a spare card to put in if I decide I need to change it for whatever reason). It's pretty discrete and passengers don't even notice it's there.
Have one (a Roadhawk, bought from DogCamSport) and it is good. On a rolling loop of 8hrs, records video, sound, logs GPS and hence speed, uses accelerometers for measuring G and automatically logs "shock" events. Bought as I drive 30k miles a year a lot of which is on single track roads and I got fed up with knock for knock accidents when it definitely wasn't my fault (other insurance companies will accept responsibility no problem at all if it's clearly not your fault but the police don't seem to be able to compute no skid marks behind your car, 15m behind other car as evidence of a likely cause)! Haven't used it for accident purposes yet but have used to supply evidence to the police of a road rage incident and a dodgy character scoping out work.
If it wasn't under my control it would be totally different as I said (Have a spare card to put in if I decide I need to change it for whatever reason). It's pretty discrete and passengers don't even notice it's there.
Seems to be very popular amongst young drivers in big cities / high risk areas that can't get reasonable premiums anywhere else.
No way in hell is one of these ever getting into my car - not because I am worried about my driving, but because I really disagree with the whole "Big Brother" aspect of it. The premiums with it don't seem to be too much less than regular cover anyway, so it does seem a bit pointless.
No way in hell is one of these ever getting into my car - not because I am worried about my driving, but because I really disagree with the whole "Big Brother" aspect of it. The premiums with it don't seem to be too much less than regular cover anyway, so it does seem a bit pointless.
blueST said:
how it worked out and how it knows if you're driving safely or not.
Apparently driving between 11pm and 6am makes you certain to have a nasty accident causing millions of pounds worth of damage, so you aren't allowed to drive between those times (unless you pay through the arse for it, then you'll be safe...).zeduffman said:
Apparently driving between 11pm and 6am makes you certain to have a nasty accident causing millions of pounds worth of damage, so you aren't allowed to drive between those times (unless you pay through the arse for it, then you'll be safe...).
Yes, because rush hour traffic is the safest place to be, not at dawn on a sunny sunday morning. Morons.blueST said:
So, if one were to have one of these boxes in the car, the next time a danger presents itself it would be well worth considering whether it is cheaper to do an emergency stop (with the resulting increase in premium) or to just plough through whatever is in front.
Just possibly, the thought of the above options might encourage improved perception to avoid the need for an emergency stop?eldar said:
blueST said:
So, if one were to have one of these boxes in the car, the next time a danger presents itself it would be well worth considering whether it is cheaper to do an emergency stop (with the resulting increase in premium) or to just plough through whatever is in front.
Just possibly, the thought of the above options might encourage improved perception to avoid the need for an emergency stop?I know what your saying though
blueST said:
I'm not sure whether balancing the cost of your premium against the financial penalty for running a sheep over is something you should be doing before deciding to hit the brakes.
I know what your saying though
True, its a valid concern. I don't think the black boxes are as bad as they are often portrayed.I know what your saying though
Be interested to see how they pan out...
I got an email off an insurance co the other week with a quote of £640 for my GTR which is around £200 less than i am currently paying though this required a black box thingie.
Best leaving it alone TBH as if it measures sudden accelertation and cornering the thing will be going bannanas!
Best leaving it alone TBH as if it measures sudden accelertation and cornering the thing will be going bannanas!
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