Low mileage driver news - GPS insurance holders can use CrashMap

Car insurance news - GPS insurance holders can use CrashMap

A road safety professional, Dan Campsall, has created a website called CrashMap which shows the sites of accidents from 2005 to 2010 in a similar layout to car users' GPS. Insurance holders can use this site to find safer routes to their destinations.

The data used was collected from police information about road traffic accidents throughout the whole of the UK.

Currently the information plotted on the map only goes up to the end of last year, but soon it will be updated with the newest accident locations using figures from the Department for Transport.

By clicking on the exclamation marks, which indicate that within ten metres of that site there was a ‘slight', ‘severe' or ‘fatal' traffic incident, all motorists can view further details of the crash by registering with the site and paying £1 for the full report of the accident.

This will include the time and date, the location, what the weather was like, the condition of the road surface and if any hazards were present at the time. Furthermore they will be able to view lighting conditions, what the speed limit is, and which local council and highway authority are in charge of that area.

The full report will also present people with data about each vehicle, the age and gender of the driver or drivers, and what manoeuvre was being undertaken at the time of the incident. Information such as whether the person was a low mileage driver and what type of car insurance they had will not be provided.

"It has taken a year to collate all the information and present it in a clear and accessible way. The facts needed to be put out there," Mr Campsall stated.

The hope is that with all the information within easy reach, motorists will be able to accurately plot routes which are safer to use, potentially adding them into their vehicle's sat nav or GPS. Insurance costs may also be kept stable, or possibly even reduced as a result of this scheme, since if people are more aware of which roads in their area tend to be more hazardous, they may drive along them in a safer and more considerate manner.