Insurance & European Car Makers
European car insurance companies are taking notice of a United States pilot program that is changing the way customer premiums are calculated. A new trial is being conducted in Northern Ireland that will affix an electronic data recorder to the cars of their customers who request it. Their focus is to learn more about individual driving habits and abilities.
Autoline Insurance is offering the initial trial program only to drivers in Northern Ireland. It is completely voluntary, and only drivers who request the device will have them installed in their vehicles. A similar program has run in North America for several years, offering a premium cut in exchange for fitting the free device. Selected parts of Europe, now including Northern Ireland, are beginning to see the merits of the plan.
The data recorder is an electronic device that can be fitted to any vehicle. It collects information on how well – or how badly – the car is driven. Its data is also used to establish the times the car is on the road, its speed, and its location. The insurance company can then use the information to help calculate customer insurance premiums based more on the customer’s driving habits and capability.
Is this a good program for the average consumer, or an invasion of privacy? In theory, it could be both. Data from the recorder will yield information on how moderately and consistently you drive, whether you ease on and off the accelerator and brake, and whether you weave in and out of traffic. It will also show how many actual miles you drive in a specified time period, whether you stay within speed limits, and offer evidence of reaction times.
The good driver should see premiums go down, keeping them more in line with safe habits and driving capability. The typical ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to insurance rates does not necessarily benefit the safe driver. Installing the data recorder could provide documented evidence that translates, ultimately, into lower insurance premiums.
Those whose driving habits will not yield such beneficial information probably will not wish to participate in the program. Down the line, however, one wonders just how high their premiums may eventually rise.
Autoline Insurance predicts that the new system may have “huge repercussions” for the entire auto insurance industry. As more companies implement the program, the traditional approach to calculating auto insurance could change forever.
Some questions have been raised about the usability of the data in other arenas. Could it be used to corroborate guilt or innocence in criminal investigations or accidents? Also on the table is the identity of entities that may be able to access it; the insurance company alone, other companies in the industry, or outside entities like law enforcement. These questions have yet to be answered.
For now, safe and careful drivers can benefit from this program in Northern Ireland as well as they have in North America. It’s a safe bet that this electronic data recording program will continue to grow in popularity.
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