Insurance - telematics box
Discussion
Morning all
My eldest has got her first "proper" job since leaving Uni. She now needs a car which will probably be a Yaris (reliable, economical, 4 star Ncap.... all the key PH boxes ticked
)
Anyway long story short....if she gets a telematics box fitted she will save circa £500 on her insurance. She's not a boy racer, unlikely to be out in the evenings/nighttime, fairly sensible head on her shoulders (although does have the odd "dizzy blonde" spell.
Are there any downsides (to having the box fitted)?
My eldest has got her first "proper" job since leaving Uni. She now needs a car which will probably be a Yaris (reliable, economical, 4 star Ncap.... all the key PH boxes ticked
)Anyway long story short....if she gets a telematics box fitted she will save circa £500 on her insurance. She's not a boy racer, unlikely to be out in the evenings/nighttime, fairly sensible head on her shoulders (although does have the odd "dizzy blonde" spell.
Are there any downsides (to having the box fitted)?
Despite what the insurance company might say, it's quite easy to "exceed" the limits set for "safe" driving. In other words, if she drives sensibly, accelerating properly on slip roads and not dawdling around roundabouts, she'll likely end up being "fined".
The Boxes are a scam, and I'd recommend you avoid it. Try adding older named drivers to the policy, my parents brought my quotes down by circa £500
The Boxes are a scam, and I'd recommend you avoid it. Try adding older named drivers to the policy, my parents brought my quotes down by circa £500
ohtari said:
Despite what the insurance company might say, it's quite easy to "exceed" the limits set for "safe" driving. In other words, if she drives sensibly, accelerating properly on slip roads and not dawdling around roundabouts, she'll likely end up being "fined".
The Boxes are a scam, and I'd recommend you avoid it. Try adding older named drivers to the policy, my parents brought my quotes down by circa £500
I'll try "adding the parents" thing - thanks.The Boxes are a scam, and I'd recommend you avoid it. Try adding older named drivers to the policy, my parents brought my quotes down by circa £500
What do people get fined for? I assumed the box measured your driving and re-quoted the following year based on how well/poorly you drove ?
Noger said:
Many people save money.
But if you want to believe a some random post from someone on half term about it being a "scam" feel free.
And yet we should listen to your random post instead? But if you want to believe a some random post from someone on half term about it being a "scam" feel free.
Its far too early to make such a blanket statement as 'many people save money' as it is only a recent scheme and I imagine not too many people have reached a point in their policies where the premium may be "adjusted" due to whatever data is given... Unless of course you're basing 'saving money' solely on the (in my experience) TINY initial discount when starting the policy, in which case you sound like just the right type of gullible idiot this sort of scheme was designed for.
Countdown said:
I'll try "adding the parents" thing - thanks.
What do people get fined for? I assumed the box measured your driving and re-quoted the following year based on how well/poorly you drove ?
Exactly. But unless you drive gently all the time you won't get a good score and will end up paying more next year, hence the "fine". What do people get fined for? I assumed the box measured your driving and re-quoted the following year based on how well/poorly you drove ?
There's an phone app in this for someone. Work out what the thresholds are for the accelerometer in the box, and then use the accelerometer in the phone to show you how hard you can accelerate, brake and corner while still being "good"...
Countdown said:
Morning all
My eldest has got her first "proper" job since leaving Uni. She now needs a car which will probably be a Yaris (reliable, economical, 4 star Ncap.... all the key PH boxes ticked)
Anyway long story short....if she gets a telematics box fitted she will save circa £500 on her insurance. She's not a boy racer, unlikely to be out in the evenings/nighttime, fairly sensible head on her shoulders (although does have the odd "dizzy blonde" spell.
Are there any downsides (to having the box fitted)?
Upside - she'll save some money.My eldest has got her first "proper" job since leaving Uni. She now needs a car which will probably be a Yaris (reliable, economical, 4 star Ncap.... all the key PH boxes ticked
)Anyway long story short....if she gets a telematics box fitted she will save circa £500 on her insurance. She's not a boy racer, unlikely to be out in the evenings/nighttime, fairly sensible head on her shoulders (although does have the odd "dizzy blonde" spell.
Are there any downsides (to having the box fitted)?
Downside - it's voluntary now but the more people accept it, the sooner everyone will have to have one or be refused insurance.
Y
AFAICS all the gadget does is give them an accurate picture of the standard of driving , rather than them having to make generalised assumptions based on her age. And if her driving is that bad then I wNt to know about it
davepoth said:
Exactly. But unless you drive gently all the time you won't get a good score and will end up paying more next year, hence the "fine".
.
But if they quote her "more" she'll switch to another provider and they'll get nothing out of giving her a £500 discount in Year 1. Why bother giving her a discount in Yr1 only to lose her in yr 2 ? confused:.
AFAICS all the gadget does is give them an accurate picture of the standard of driving , rather than them having to make generalised assumptions based on her age. And if her driving is that bad then I wNt to know about it
A slippery slope , new drivers are practically being forced to use them due to the crazy prices but any justification that they reduce risk will see it applied to everyone. The government then work out a way to make it issue £30/£60 fines without a policeman even having to get off his backside and were all doomed.
Just my 2p
Just my 2p
TwigtheWonderkid said:
It saves her money and if it encourages her to drive more cautiously it might save her life. What's not to like?
This! My insurance companies I've been with have been black box policies and I think they're a good idea, it DOES save money (£875 for the year as opposed to £1500 without a box) also it will be a god send if someone crashes into you and they're at fault because if they claim you were speeding or driving like a tit you could say no I wasn't my insurer can verify that because they use telematics and can check the data, it also acts as a tracker incase some scrote nicks her car. Tell her to give ingenie.com and drivelikeagirl.co.uk a tryEdited by meggysaurus on Saturday 23 February 18:39
meggysaurus said:
This! My insurance companies I've been with have been black box policies and I think they're a good idea, it DOES save money (£875 for the year as opposed to £1500 without a box) also it will be a god send if someone crashes into you and they're at fault because if they claim you were speeding or driving like a tit you could say no I wasn't my insurer can verify that because they use telematics and can check the data, it also acts as a tracker incase some scrote nicks her car. Tell her to give ingenie.com and drivelikeagirl.co.uk a try
So if it does all that then could the police request evidence from the insurance company in the event of a charge against you?Edited by meggysaurus on Saturday 23 February 18:39
Countdown said:
AFAICS all the gadget does is give them an accurate picture of the standard of driving , rather than them having to make generalised assumptions based on her age. And if her driving is that bad then I wNt to know about it
My concern is that it actually doesn't. As discussed in the other threads, good driving is not simply whether one accelerates gently, avoids harsh braking or never speeds - it is about assessing the road, hazard awareness, driving to the conditions etc.The box does not reward the latter. Some of the worst driving I have ever seen has been well below the speed limit - shocking lack of awareness, lack of lane discipline, inability to use indicators. These things are not 'punished' so to speak.
Frankly you could be a properly s
t driver and still be rated 'good' by the box. And vice versa, you could be a decent smooth safe driver but be rated lower because of "undue acceleration" or "excessive cornering forces".Do the boxes address poor driving? No.
Will they get to the heart of the causes of poor driving? No.
Is it an easy solution? Yes.
Will we be moaning in 10 years time when 'non telematic box equipped insurance' is prohibitively expensive (after all, what's the problem if you've got "nothing to hide")? Yes.
Young drivers are an easy target at the moment as first car insurance is genuinely getting prohibitively expensive for a substantial amount of people. Who would complain about getting cheaper insurance? (Especially when you have few alternatives).
Anyway, bigger picture, tin end of wedge, 1984, tinfoil hats and all that. Ahm ooot.
Edited by g3org3y on Saturday 23 February 18:53
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