MCL Insurance has called for ‘black box’ telematics systems to be fitted to all cars driven by younger drivers ahead of Ireland’s Road Safety Week, which starts on 7 October.
Records all driving data
MCL, which includes brands such as its4women, GetSetGo, and BoxyMo, has revealed data collected from 446 crashes and incidents involving vehicles fitted with its ‘black box’ systems. These systems record all driving and performance data and share that information with insurers to try to reward good drivers with lower premiums and punish bad drivers with higher costs.
According to MCL’s data, Friday is the day of the week that sees the most crashes, followed by Saturday and Thursday. Afternooons and rush hours are the most dangerous times of the day, with the hour between 4pm and 5pm the worst for accidents. Early mornings are considered by MCL to be the safest.
Motorways are the safest
Secondary roads are the most dangerous, with more than double the number of incidents compared to tertiary roads, while motorways - with just ten crashes out of the 446 - were by far the safest.
MCL told CompleteCar that: “Telematics uses GPS and other technology to send information about the way a vehicle is being driven, including speed limit of the road, road type and road surface. It rewards people who drive safely by monitoring the big five risk factors: speeding, driving smoothness (braking, acceleration and cornering), distance travelled, where travelling to, and when travelling. Sister company, Axon Telematics, has developed the innovative telematics technology used by MCL Insurance across its policies.”
Poorly maintained
MCL Insurance’s director, Gary McClarty, said: “It’s clear that Fridays, and weekends in general, evening rush hour, and secondary roads, are key factors when it comes to the incidence of road crashes among our policy-holders using black box devices. This would suggest that the risk of having a crash increases with higher traffic volumes in the evenings, when people are travelling home from work, or at weekends when more people are on the move travelling to events or going on trips. It is not surprising that motorways have the least number of crashes and secondary roads the most. Secondary roads are for the most part single carriageway, have more stops and intersections, can often be narrow and winding, and are sometimes poorly maintained, increasing the risk of a crash.
“We know that, according to the RSA, of the 188 people who died on our roads last year, 78 per cent were male, and that a quarter (26 per cent) were 16-25 years, despite comprising only 12 per cent of the population. We know that younger drivers have the highest number of accidents, however, there is a way to encourage safer driving. Black boxes save lives and that’s why we’re calling on Government to mandate all young and first-time drivers to have these devices fitted to their vehicles for their first two years on the road, a cost which I believe insurance providers will readily absorb as it will also bring down the high cost of claims. Not only would the technology lead to reduced injury and death on our roads, but reduced premiums too.”