AIBU?
To wonder why all car insurance companies don't do this?
bendmeoverbackwards · 08/04/2021 14:55
I have a box fitted in my car that my insurance company have as part of their terms and conditions. It monitors my driving and I get regular email updates.
I think it's good and makes me think about my speed, braking and acceleration which should make me a safer driver.
I'm wondering why all insurance companies don't do similar? Surely this is the best way to catch people who speed or drive aggressively and increase their premiums accordingly?
Am I being unreasonable?
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InsuranceAnalyst · 08/04/2021 15:03
Lots of companies offer this but it's mainly used for young drivers. There's a cost associated with fitting the box which I think is generally factored into the premium.
If you have a low premium then it's probably not cost effective to have a box fitted - the premium will be high enough that a normal policy will be much more competitive.
DynamoKev · 08/04/2021 15:12
Black boxes don’t have context. I have just been out (permitted travel), felt it was appropriate to accelerate quite briskly to overtake a cyclist so I could give them plenty of space and minimise my time on the wrong side of the road. Sometimes I have to slam on the brakes because someone does something I wasn’t expecting- often that is predictable and I can plan for it but not always.
CloudFormations · 08/04/2021 15:15
I think it's a great idea. The only people who wouldn't like it are those who know they have bad or unsafe driving.
Not true. I’m a very safe and conscientious driver, never go over the speed limit, have never had any kind of accident. I still wouldn’t like this. It’s too much oversight for my liking.
DayBath · 08/04/2021 15:19
Because if I brake suddenly they could judge me as a bad driver. When in reality I'm avoiding some obstacle that's suddenly appeared like a child running into the road. The black boxes don't have cameras do they? They're just monitoring speed so how do they know the context?
DayBath · 08/04/2021 15:21
I also think the insurance company would use the slightest excuse from the black box data not to pay a claim. 0.2 mph over the limit when you crashed? Tough shit we aren't paying.
Even the best and most careful driver occasionally makes mistakes that aren't unsafe but could be considered technicalities to get out of a contract. Car insurance firms aren't generally know for their sense of fair play.
bendmeoverbackwards · 08/04/2021 15:32
@RunningFromInsanity
That's what I mean - if all insurance companies did them, there is nowhere to hide. There is always the risk of people driving uninsured but the penalties for this I imagine are huge and not a risk most people would take.
MsWarrensProfession · 08/04/2021 15:32
Unsurprisingly InsuranceAnalyst has nailed it. If the box and the associated admin costs, say, fifty quid then that’s not going to add value for the vast majority of customers because the difference that data would make to an average 500 quid policy isn’t fifty quids worth. But if you’re a teenager paying 1,500 then it’s well worth buying a policy with that cost built in if it enables you to prove that you’re even ten percent safer than your average teen.
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