General Insurance Article - Young drivers more likely hit high impact collision alerts

 According to new research by insurethebox, over 70% of high impact alerts recorded by its Accident Alerts service last year were triggered by 17-21 year olds.

 insurethebox believes that young motorists can access this critical safety feature through its Accident Alerts service, which does the job of eCall without the cost of a new car. The feature is part of an insurethebox telematics policy, and uses a number of data factors to assess a driver’s possible involvement in a collision. If a significant G-Force impact is registered, insurethebox examines the time of day, whether the vehicle is still moving, and the type of road the vehicle is on. If insurethebox detects a high impact, its team will attempt to contact the customer to check they are alright. If insurethebox is unable to reach the policyholder, its team will review and make a decision on whether to call the emergency services with the location of the vehicle.

 More than 100,000 Accident Alerts have been triggered since insurethebox launched in 2010, and its most recent analysis shows that the emergency services were called 145 times during 2017[3] as a result of an Accident Alert. The new research from insurethebox also revealed that vehicles on a 30mph road are six times more likely to trigger these high impact alerts, which indicate the driver’s possible involvement in a collision, than on a motorway. Additionally, nearly half of alerts (43%) are recorded after 5pm[4], with drivers six times more likely to require emergency services between midnight and 5am. In 2017, insurethebox received the highest number of Accident Alerts in December.

 Simon Rewell, Road Safety Manager at insurethebox, commented: “Our Accident Alert service is an example of telematics technology making UK roads safer. We provide young drivers the benefits of connected motoring – and they don’t need to buy a brand new car to access it. If an alert is triggered, we attempt to contact the driver to check that they are safe and help them if they have been involved in a collision. In the event of a high impact, if we cannot reach them, we will review and make a decision on whether to call the emergency services with the location of the vehicle,” he added.