AIBU to say Admiral Black Box insurance for young drivers leaves a lot to be desired?

MsAgnesDiPesto · 21/01/2022 09:36

@Rosaxpxp

DD has just passed test and we have been fitted with a black box, courtesy of Admiral insurance.

We are getting our driving scores, but just get an overall mark for each day, (green for good driving, amber for could do better and red for poor). There is no specific information given on why an amber or red score is awarded, so you don't necessarily know what it was you did wrong.

If you don't have any specific information on driving transgressions, how will the young driver improve?

Has anyone else had Admiral Black Box insurance?

There’s a limit to how much a black box can tell about how you’re driving, surely? (Never had one, but thinking logically). It can’t ‘see’ the conditions so is presumably relying on things like rapid acceleration followed quickly by deceleration, heavy braking etc - so it can’t identify that you approached a roundabout too fast, for instance, or didn’t brake in time for lights. So it will just be overall how good you are at making smooth progress, smooth braking indicating you have judged distances and predicted hazards well, and so on.

Unless you’re about to tell me it has cameras which the insurer has monitored by a person 24/7!

MsAgnesDiPesto · 21/01/2022 09:40

And don’t forget that, if you DD has passed her test, she knows how to drive so should know if she’s doing something wrong. The black box is to allow the insurers to be comfortable that she is an appropriate risk for the premium you’re paying - it’s not a tutor.

PineappleTart · 21/01/2022 09:45

@MsAgnesDiPesto

And don’t forget that, if you DD has passed her test, she knows how to drive so should know if she’s doing something wrong. The black box is to allow the insurers to be comfortable that she is an appropriate risk for the premium you’re paying - it’s not a tutor.

I totally agree with this. My friend had a black box when she first passed her test. She knew if she'd done something to effect her rating (such as sudden braking due to someone pulling out unexpectedly).

Original poster

Rosaxpxp · 21/01/2022 11:38

My DD's friend's insurance company (black box portal) will tell him if he has exceeded the speed limit and exactly where it occured. He found out that there was a 30 mile an hour limit in one of the hamlets he was travelling through to get to school, which wasn't signposted. He then adjusted his driving to make sure that he was driving more safely (ie under 30mph) through the hamlet in question.

I feel that if one insurance company can provide this information, then it is clearly possible.

We are tied into Admiral now, so can't change until next renewal sadly.

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Malbecfan · 21/01/2022 11:55

Why not contact them and ask if there's an app or something you can download or access as you are ALL interested in boosting your scores? That way you are being proactive in trying to become better drivers whilst nicely highlighting the fact that it isn't helpful just to get a raw score. In school, if I just stick a random grade on work, how does a student know what they need to do to improve?

We had Admiral insurance when DD first got her car and unlike her best mate, we didn't need to get a black box fitted. Is that new for them?

Original poster

Rosaxpxp · 21/01/2022 13:22

@Malbecfan

Why not contact them and ask if there's an app or something you can download or access as you are ALL interested in boosting your scores? That way you are being proactive in trying to become better drivers whilst nicely highlighting the fact that it isn't helpful just to get a raw score. In school, if I just stick a random grade on work, how does a student know what they need to do to improve?

We had Admiral insurance when DD first got her car and unlike her best mate, we didn't need to get a black box fitted. Is that new for them?

@Malbecfan Yes I may just do that. There is already an Admiral App, but it doesn't give any detailed feedback about whether poor rating on black box is due to speeding, skarp braking/acceleration. I don't know if the black box is new for Admiral. I struggled to find an insurer as DD is driving my 4 wheel drive Skoda Yeti, so not a typical newly qualified driver's car. We have a 4WD due to poor condition of rural roads where we live. My own insurer wouldn't put DD on my insurance.

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fuzzyduck1 · 21/01/2022 16:55

If it’s a shared car how does the black box know who’s driving at the time.

These black boxes are not fool prof either a friend got pulled in at work once the tracker had recorded him doing 120 mph. But it was in a works van that was restricted to 65mph and the road in question was in the centre of London.

Gizlotsmum · 21/01/2022 16:59

I have an admiral black box ( straight out of company car) I get a weekly email with things to improve, things I am doing well etc. It is quite vague but I don’t mind too much. What is her driving like? Can you see areas she could do better in?

MaddieElla · 21/01/2022 17:09

Our DD has Tesco insurance and it tells you if you've exceeded speed limits, smooth driving etc, using red, Amber and green.

But she kept getting an Amber for speed, and she's adamant she stays under the limit so we think there's a road somewhere that is a different speed limit to what she thinks it is, but it won't tell us where it is/what date it was so she can narrow it down.

Hoping she gets through the next 4 months so we can get rid of the black box.

RufustheFloralmissingreindeer · 21/01/2022 17:30

Those black boxes are next to useless (in my very limited experience)

They record dodgy roads and dodgy times so you can’t ever get a good ‘grade’ (and im sure some black boxes work better)

Ds1 was ‘penalised’ for driving on roads that other people had had accidents on at busy times (so driving to college at 8.30am)

Dh drove the car round a mile block driving very carefully at all the correct speed limits and he still only got 78% 😀

Having said that we removed the black box after the first year but we didnt tell ds1 😀😀😀😀

MargaretThursday · 21/01/2022 17:37

Ours gives us a grade r/a/g fir several things.
The only thing we generally don't get Green on is motorway driving-we don't do enough!
Good marks give us more miles on the insurance so good for us.

Original poster

Rosaxpxp · 21/01/2022 23:40

@Gizlotsmum

I have an admiral black box ( straight out of company car) I get a weekly email with things to improve, things I am doing well etc. It is quite vague but I don’t mind too much. What is her driving like? Can you see areas she could do better in?

DDs driving is pretty good. As I drive the car too, sometimes it is my driving that lowers DD's score. A moment of inattention causing me to go a couple of mph over 30 will sometimes get us a red

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Original poster

Rosaxpxp · 21/01/2022 23:50

@fuzzyduck1

If it’s a shared car how does the black box know who’s driving at the time.

These black boxes are not fool prof either a friend got pulled in at work once the tracker had recorded him doing 120 mph. But it was in a works van that was restricted to 65mph and the road in question was in the centre of London.

Black box doesn't know who is driving. Both me and DD have to be very careful at all times to ensure a good driving score. It is a great pressure for me to be a paragon of virtue behind the wheel.

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