What Is Black Box Insurance? Read This to Get the Facts

Black box insurance, sometimes known as Telematics insurance is a way to keep costs down for young drivers who, because of their age and lack of driving experience, are deemed to be a higher risk to insure...

Therefore the price of insurance can high, and a Telematics insurance policy helps to bring the cost down by fitting a small device known as a telematics box or black box to the car, to monitor the driver’s performance. Essentially, young driver black box insurance is a way to get affordable car insurance, whilst monitoring your own driving ability to help you improve.

Should You Get A Black Box Insurance Policy?

If you’re a new-but-conscientious driver facing high insurance costs, then a Telematics insurance policy is designed for you. It will help you prove you’re a good driver and bring down the costs. Additionally parents of young drivers may be interested in taking out Black Box insurance policy to give them peace of mind, and help monitor their children’s driving, especially if they are car sharing. If you think your driving could be improved then a black box might just be the thing to help you, as you can monitor your driving habits whilst saving money on insurance costs.

What Happens When You Get A Black Box?

Once you’ve got your telematics insurance policy in place, the next step is to get your box fitted to your car. As part of your policy terms and conditions, you will be required to have the box fitted within a certain time frame of taking out your policy. Each insurer’s rules will be different, so make sure you understand the requirements of your policy when taking it out, and most will still let you drive your vehicle while you wait for the box to be installed. The box will be fitted by a specialist who will contact you to arrange a suitable date and time for the installation to take place. The box will be fitted at the front of the dashboard, out of sight but hopefully not out of mind.

How Does The Black Box Measure Your Driving?

With Black Box insurance there will be a way for you to monitor your driving such as via an app or an online web portal so you should be able to avoid the pitfalls of a bad driving score, by regularly reviewing and making sure your driving score is the best it can be. However, if you have been driving poorly, your insurer will be notified and in turn they will let you know. They’ll contact you to warn you about your driving, but if you ignore these warnings you could risk being fined, or worse, having you insurance policy cancelled. If you drive safely and stick to the rules of the road then you will have nothing to worry about.

How Do You Get A Good Driving Score?

You can directly influence your own score by driving sensibly and safely, making sure you obey the rules of the road and sticking to the Highway Code. Don’t accelerate too fast, don’t brake too harshly and don’t speed around corners, and to avoid doing these things, make sure you pay attention to the road and what’s going on around you. It’s also important not to bow into the pressure of bad drivers, who may wish to break the speed limit and are driving in a manner that pressures you into breaking the speed limit. Restricting your mileage and avoiding driving at night when possible can be great ways of bumping your driving score up. A black box driving score may be different from insurer to insurer so it’s always best to find out how a policy works before taking it out, to make sure you’re comfortable with it.

Are There Restrictions With Having Black Box Insurance?

Some insurers will insist on a curfew when driving and some may want to put a set limit on your mileage, however at Think Insurance our Black Box insurance policies don’t set a curfew leaving you to drive when you need and want. We do prefer low mileage and in fact offer discounts for it, but there’s no restrictions. Additionally there are no restrictions to how your car operates too as the black box won’t control your speed, braking or anything like that and it won’t interfere with your electronics such as your radio.

What Are The Benefits of Having Telematics Insurance?

On top of having cheaper car insurance, the box gives you the ability to monitor your driving to make yourself a safer driver, and there’s one huge additional benefit to having a black box…it can act as a tracking device if your car is stolen, giving you the peace of mind that the police can retrieve it quickly. Similarly, if you are involved in an accident that wasn’t your fault, the box will be able to prove what happened by recording everything from the speed and direction you were travelling at, to the force of any impact, so you shouldn’t end up paying the price for someone else’s mistake!

Is Black Box Insurance Right For You?

So if a telematics insurance policy fits you and your needs then get in touch with Think Insurance today by clicking Get A Quote below or call us on 0800 221 8077 to see how much you could save on your telematics insurance policy!