Will I be safer on the roads with black box insurance? How does it work and will black box insurance save me money? As a new driver, of course, you’ll have lots of questions.
Buying car insurance can be overwhelming for any driver, let alone if they haven’t been on the roads before. From how black boxes work, to what they record, we’ve got the lowdown on telematics to help you drive safely and hopefully earn a more personalised premium at the same time.
What is Black Box car insurance?
Black box is a type of insurance that is aimed at new drivers. It uses advanced telematics technology to monitor how well you drive by giving us an overall picture of your driving style. It then scores you against certain factors and incentivises you to drive safely by helping you earn more personalised insurance premiums. The safer you drive, the cheaper your premium may become.
What does a Black Box do in a car?
A black box is fitted to your car. It will be placed out of sight, so it doesn’t distract you when you’re on the move. It collects data using smart technologies (such as motion sensors and GPS) to work out how safely you’re driving. It looks at the roads you’re using, their speed limits, and your general driving behaviour.
The GPS system does not track where you are in real time (unless you ask us because your car has been stolen) and we would never sell your data to third parties or tell your parents about your driving patterns. The only time we would use your data is if we were legally required to do so, such as if requested by the police after an accident.
How does Black Box insurance keep you safe?
Black box insurance builds up a general picture of your driving style over time. With this, it’ll give you a clear idea of where you need to improve. We use the measurements collected to give you feedback, such as hints and tips on how you can improve your driving style, which could potentially help you personalise your premium.
It’s important to point out that driving badly could do the opposite and cause your premiums to rise.
What does Black Box Insurance measure?
Telematics devices are pretty clever as they record how safely you’re driving. Telematics looks at four core things and rates you on your performance. These are:
Your speed
Breaking the speed limit by driving too fast is not a safe way to drive. We’ll let you know if you’ve gone over the limit to help you be more careful next time. However, if we detect an extreme speeding violation, your policy may be cancelled straightaway.
The time of day that you’re out driving
Although it won’t have a huge effect on your score if you’re driving safely, regularly driving at night makes you more likely to have an accident so this may affect your overall score.
The sharpness of your braking
If you’re braking harshly more often than not, it could mean you’re not paying as much attention as you should to the roads.
How quickly you accelerate
If you’re going from 0 to 60 in seconds and constantly speeding off at junctions, it could mean you’re not driving as safely as you should be.
The telematics device gives you a Driving Behaviour Score by calculating how well you perform in these core aspects. You can track how well you’re driving using your online WiseDriving account. Only you, us and your insurer will be able to see your score. The higher your score, the better you are at driving. If your score increases over time, you could earn a lower premium, but, if it decreases, you may have to pay more. Sounds fair, right?
Plus, we have some great hints and tips that can help you improve your driving score on our Help Centre.
What doesn't a Black Box measure?
Your black box will only consider certain elements to keep you safe on the road. Here are some of the things that a black box does not measure:
How much petrol you’re using
Black boxes use telematics to help you drive safely. It’s unable to tell how much petrol you have in the tank or how much it’s costing you.
If your car is faulty
Black box technology is unable to tell if your car needs a trip to the mechanic. Do keep on top of the maintenance of your vehicle though, as ignoring issues affects your driving and eats up your petrol too!
Where you are right now
Black box technology uses GPS tracking to monitor the roads you use and the speed limits, but we would never monitor your location in real time unless you ask us to. However, GPS can be beneficial in rare circumstances - if your car is stolen, for example.
Once activated, we can pass on the GPS details about your car’s location to the police who can attempt to recover the vehicle for you.
Please note, it's only possible to track a stolen vehicle if the telematics device has been professionally fitted or fixed to the car battery.
How loud your music is
Black box technology is not watching you! It won’t record your conversations, pick up on the volume of your music, or record how loudly you’re singing along to the radio. All it looks for is the safety of your driving which only you, us and your insurer can monitor using the WiseDriving portal.
If black box insurance sounds good to you, get a quote today.
Correct at the time of publication. Information in this article has been gathered from various sources, therefore WiseDriving cannot be held responsible for any view or opinion expressed herein.
