40 per cent of new driver crashes involving 17 to 25 year-olds could be avoided through mass market adoption of black box or telematics insurance, according to a report published by young driver insurer ingenie. This amounts to the prevention of 28,749 crashes on UK roads each year.
The ingenie report also presents telematics data gathered over 200,000,000 miles to paint a clear picture of how, when and where young people drive; the risk they pose to themselves and other road users; and their receptiveness to behaviour change.
Road crashes are still the biggest accidental killer of young people
Young drivers are involved in 20 per cent of ‘killed and seriously injured’ crashes
Five 17 to 24-year-olds lose their lives on British roads every week
Based on this evidence, ingenie has joined forces with its insurance partner Ageas UK to call for an Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) exemption on telematics policies taken out by young drivers. This would allow insurers to reduce premiums and stimulate demand while the market matures.
Implementing this rate for telematics insurance could increase take-up by as many as 245,000 additional policies. This would result in an estimated 28,749 fewer crashes annually by year seven, and a saving to the UK economy of £500 million.
When these findings were presented to transport minister Robert Goodwill MP at a recent meeting in the House of Lords, he acknowledged that “telematics was delivering for young drivers” and pledged further research into its impact.
The data suggests that lives could be saved through wider adoption of black box insurance. Indeed, ingenie’s data reveals that compared with the national average of 1 in 5 young drivers crashing in the first six months after passing their test, just 1 in 8 of those with a telematics insurance policy will have a crash during that period – that’s a 40 per cent reduction in risk.
Richard King, ingenie’s founder and CEO, said: “Every year, more than 490,000 newly qualified drivers take to the road on their own for the first time, and it’s a sobering thought that without telematics one in five of them will go on to have a crash within just six months of passing their test.
“Despite much debate over many years, a solution to this economic and social problem has proved elusive for successive governments. We’re able to provide a private sector solution through technology, and our data shows conclusively that telematics has the potential to save more lives.
“There is a moral obligation – as well as a very clear economic responsibility – for government to get behind telematics for young drivers, to publicly acknowledge the very real and significant safety benefits it offers, and provide the financial incentive needed to encourage wide-scale take-up.”
Adrian Walsh, director of RoadSafe said: “Young drivers are keen to drive well and are quick to learn. However, much of their training focuses on the skills associated with controlling a vehicle rather than their attitude to assessing and managing risk.”
“RoadSafe is urging a fresh approach: educate potential drivers to cope with the risks they face, rather than simply to enable them to pilot a vehicle. Telematics can achieve much of this.”