cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/13854229
A mum had to take action to prove not every road in Wales has a 20mph speed limit after an insurance firm voided her son’s insurance policy.
Welsh television presenter Jess Davies explained that her younger brother saw his car insurance voided as a result of the vehicle’s black box recording his speed and seemingly deciding he was constantly exceeding the speed limit. It meant their mother had to take some unusual steps to show the firm that not every road in Wales now had a 20mph speed limit.
black box what?? we don’t have such nonsense here. why is there a black box in a car? is it a cheaper insurance thing or a government thing? every car now needs one?
Do know the diagnostic port in your car they plug into if your check engine comes on? It can read your car systems in real time as well, and insurance companies will offer you a discount for “good driving” if you keep their dongle plugged in so it can send all your car info back to them.
It can go both ways though, hence the article.
We do have them in the US but they are optional for cheaper rates for insurance.
The box is in your car whether or not you select Telemetry Insurance. Unless your car was built pre 2005ish. It varies by manufacturer.
The data gets used after an accident. You tell them you weren’t speeding, but they’ll know exactly how fast you were going and how you maneuvered.
That’s a different box. Insurance companies don’t have access to that black box unless the car has an accident. But they might give you another box to plug in if you want a discount.
Correct, and to add to that, they’re not allowed to use it in reverse to raise rates on you, only discounts.
So much for all the EU consumer friendliness!
If “here” is the US, then yeah you do. There are insurers in UK, US and I believe most of western Europe who offer “discounted” insurance in return for fitting a tracking, logging device to the car.
It’s usually younger drivers (17-20) that would have it. It used to be so you could get your insurance cheaper, but companies being companies has meant that a lot won’t even insure younger drivers without it now, and charge double what they used to.
Insurance companies will install them for cheaper insurance. With car insurance being incredibly high for young drivers, £1000+ a year, most people effectively have no choice for the first few years.
Eventually you’ll get enough years “no claims bonus” to get decent insurance offers without a box.
Here’s how it works in the US, not sure about UK.
Most car insurance companies have an optional monitoring system. If you opt in, you’ll be given a device to place in your car. This device sends data about your driving habits and location data to the insurance company. The company’s algorithm rates how safely you’re driving and gives you a discount based on that.
Telemetry Insurance. That part is up to the consumer, but the boxes exist in all cars now. They are usually reviewed after accidents to check the environmental conditions, like speed/braking, steering etc. Manufacturers have had to comply since the mid 2000’s and some took until the mid teens.
Unfortunately for a lot of new drivers in the uk it’s basically mandatory because non black box insurance is so damn expensive for young drivers now.
ty u all for the info. now i know 👍
All cars have had them for a long time now, but Insurance companies don’t have access to them, at least not in the US, only dealers do. They’re probably actually referring to the OBD things that (may) offer a discount to people.