Even though telematics insurance can be cheaper for young drivers across the country, many teenagers dread the thought of having a black box fitted to their car and being monitored. But is everything you believe about telematics actually accurate? Before you avoid it, here are some common questions about telematics devices answered.
Do they really watch you like ‘Big Brother’?
No – telematics devices only pick up on your speed, sharpness of braking, speed of acceleration, time of day you’re driving and your journeys through GPS. They won’t watch or listen to anything else you do in your car, so you can carry on playing your music as loud as you like without anyone finding out!
Will my insurance company tell my parents how I drive?
Not at all: the data produced by your box is for use of the insurance company and yourself only. We’ll only pass on your data if legally required to do so by the police following an accident. If you don’t tell anyone, we won’t either.
Can they track where I am?
They can, but we won’t track GPS (meaning your location) in real time unless you ask us to do so – such as if your car has been stolen. The GPS is used for calculating the data used in creating your score rather than checking up on where you are.
Who gets to see my score?
Just you, us and your insurer. We don’t sell your data to third parties, nor are we going to tell your mum and dad that you went over the speed limit once. Driving badly will affect your score and could affect your pocket, but we won’t pass on a bad score to anyone else.
Telematics devices may not be watching you as closely as you think. It only monitors how you drive for insurance purposes – drive badly, and your insurance costs could go up, but drive well, and you could be on the way to cheaper insurance - meaning it can actually be rewarding to have it in your car rather than scary!
