More and more people are talking about telematics car insurance, or they might call it black box car insurance or even GPS insurance – whichever name it gets called, it’s a new way to insure cars by using information sent from a clever little box inside the vehicle to show how the policy holder is driving.
At insurethebox, we use a type of black box car insurance to provide competitive rates to certain driver groups, such as young and low-mileage drivers, who do not always get the best deals on traditional car insurance, and we have a strong emphasis on helping drivers improve their driving skills and stay safe on the roads.
Technology and innovation have always been watchwords in the motoring industry and in-car safety is a top priority for most vehicle manufacturers. Many people buying a typical family car will probably be interested in its safety rating and all new, mass-produced cars for the commercial market are subject to rigorous testing in order to furnish potential buyers with information on whether their choice is built to keep the occupants, and other road users, safe in the event of a car accident.
Safety testing for European car buyers
The European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP) is a Brussels-based safety testing programme established in 1997 by the Transport Research Laboratory for the DfT (Department for Transport). It is now backed by a number of European governments and provides possibly the most comprehensive and trusted independent testing procedures for new cars available to the mass market.
In the 1970s the European Experimental Vehicles Committee (EEVC) began developing tests designed to establish levels of safety in commercial vehicles. Full scale crash testing was in place by the early 1990s to examine protection of car occupants from front and side impacts. It also evaluated how pedestrians were affected when hit by the front end of a vehicle in a crash scenario.
However, the motor manufacturing industry was not happy about EEVC test proposals being adopted into European legislation and, in June 1994, the DfT proposed the setting up of an NCAP in the UK. By July 1995 meetings had taken place at the European Commission to discuss the expansion of the new UK NCAP across Europe.
It was always the aim of the EuroNCAP to be ambitious, comprehensive and that all testing and assessment procedures would be thoroughly scientific. So, a meticulous protocol was developed to provide safety analysis at a more detailed level than that which was required by legislation for the production of motor cars.
EuroNCAP’s inaugural meeting was held in December 1996 and, from the first test results being published in February 1997, the programme has gone from strength to strength. Although motor manufacturers were initially resistant to the stringency of the tests, it was clear to see by all involved in the motoring industry that the introduction of the tests quickly led to production of safer cars for all road users.
insurethebox black box car insurance can help with road safety
It’s not often that an insurance product can actively help with safety, rather than just sitting there passively waiting for that proverbial rainy day, but insurethebox’s telematics car insurance constantly assesses a driver’s safety on the road by measuring a number of different driving behaviours.
Data analysis is then posted on the policy holder’s portal, via our website, and customers can clearly see how they have driven. If some of the driving data results come as a shock, he or she can choose to modify their driving to become a safer driver (and to earn Bonus Miles as well).
To find out more about insurethebox’s brand of black box car insurance click here or, to get a quote online right now, why not click on the Get a Quote button and fill in our simple quote form.