No matter how carefully you drive, an accident could happen. But if you have a black box installed, it can do so much more than just measure how well you drive to give you a better deal on your car insurance.
In fact, these little devices are completely changing the way accidents are investigated, giving insurers instant data and insight if you’ve had a crash.
Does a Black Box record an accident?
Yes, a black box can see if you’ve had an accident and will record it. The black box measures G-force and so will recognise the force of an impact, if it’s over a certain amount, on your car and this data can be used by your insurer to understand what happened.
A black box is really useful if you’ve been in an accident and the other driver won’t accept liability, even if it was their fault. You’ll be able to check the data with your insurer, who can tell you how fast you were going, the impact force and what time and where the accident took place. This can help build up a case if you believe you were not in the wrong.
If you have a black box from WiseDriving installed and have an accident, we are alerted and may even contact you to check you are okay - that’s how clever the black box is.
What to do if you have a car accident and have a Black Box installed
If you have been involved in a car accident with another driver, first stop your car, turn off your engine and then switch on your hazard lights. This will make other drivers aware of what has happened and reduce the chances of another collision happening.
Check that you and any passengers in your car don’t have any injuries. Only leave your vehicle if it is safe to do so though and check the driver of the other car is okay.
Remain calm and don’t say sorry or accept responsibility unless you are certain it was your fault. We understand that any kind of accident can shake you up, so it’s important you take deep breaths and try not to lose your temper.
Next, if your cars are causing an obstruction in the road, you should call the police who can come and assist with moving them. If not, move onto exchanging details with the other driver, these include:
- Their name and address. If the accident has caused damage to the car or injury to anyone then you must get the names and addresses of everyone in their car.
- Insurance information - Ask who they’re insured with and the type of insurance they have. Make a note of this in your phone so you don’t lose it.
You should also take photos of the cars. This includes any damage and how the cars are positioned plus a picture of their number plate for reference later. You should also take photos of any injuries you may have later. If you don’t have access to a phone, make a note of the model, make, colour and the number plate.
If there’s any confusion who is responsible, you can speak to your black box provider or telematics insurer who may be able to piece together who caused the collision.
A black box is a great thing to have - not only to help you save money on your car insurance but to support you with evidence if you have an accident. You can check out the other benefits here in our recent blog post or read our guide on how black boxes work on the site.
