Your Questions Answered

Young drivers present a greater risk on the road and car insurance premiums are based on risk – in other words, how likely it is that an insurer will have to pay out on a claim.

Young drivers have more accidents and experience more car security issues, such as theft and vandalism. They are, therefore, seen as a greater risk, and this is reflected in the high price of premiums.

In 2015, the Department for Transport revealed that the related accident prevention costs for young drivers between the ages of 17 and 24 was £2.9 billion in the UK.

It also found that road traffic accidents could be blamed for around 15% of all deaths for young adults between the ages of 15 and 25, so you can understand insurers erring on the side of caution.  However, it also stated that the number of young drivers getting seriously injured on the road had fallen by approximately 80% since the 1980s.

Your reputation precedes you and young drivers have a reputation for causing more accidents than any other age group. And this is backed up by statistics from the Association of British Insurers.

The data reveals that the UK’s 18-year-olds alone cause 50 collisions a day – three times more than drivers in their 50s.

Indeed, male drivers under the age of 21 are 10 times more likely to be involved in a motoring accident than drivers over the age of 30.

The basic idea behind telematics insurance is that the specific use of a car and the driver’s behaviour and ability are monitored in real time. This information is transmitted from a device in the car to the insurance company. The insurance company can then assess the risk of that driver having an accident and tailor their insurance premium to the individual.

By tracking your car’s movements through GPS systems, insurance providers can monitor and assess:

• What mileage you’re covering;
• How rapid your acceleration is;
• How smoothly you brake;
• How you handle cornering;
• Your speed

The Telematics device acts like a “black box” recording your journeys and data to help monitor and assess your driving.

Our Telematics devices, provided through Tracker, are actually a small white box no bigger in size than a mobile phone which is fitted discreetly to the windscreen of your car and charged through the cigarette lighter socket in your car.

We monitor the device to ensure its working, reporting data and charged.  If there appears to be a problem we’ll contact you and work swiftly to help resolve it.

The most obvious advantage for drivers is the reduced cost and tailored insurance premiums, which will be based on how you actually drive, rather than the average attributes of a driver’s age group, but there are other benefits too.

• Some telematics providers may specify that you don’t drive between certain hours when serious accidents are most likely to happen (usually late night) Ours doesn’t!  So you have the freedom of knowing you aren’t under a curfew.
• Self-installed Telematics device – no need to make an appointment to have the device fitted or wait around for 30-40 minutes while that’s being done.
• With our device, you fit it yourself and get on with your day.
• Mileage and fuel budgeting – Hints and tips on changing your driving style to achieve better fuel economy.
• Adopting a safer driving style to reduce the risk of having an accident.
• Information on route management to avoid accident hot spots.

The excess is the amount to be paid by the policyholder in the event of an insurance claim. There are 2 types of excess – compulsory and voluntary.

A compulsory excess is a required set fee when a claim is made. A voluntary excess is a voluntary amount you are willing to pay in the event of a claim. The total excess is the total sum of the two.

Choosing a higher voluntary excess can help to reduce your renewal premium.