Cars soon outfitted with black box

Magazine Issue:

Magazine date:

Jun 2014

In the next decade, the majority of policyholders will face an increase in their motor insurance premiums while others will be forced to leave their cars in the garage (at home). Blame it on a black box to be installed in each vehicle and inform insurers on the driving habits of each driver.

The technology, called telematics, appeared in 2003, and moved slowly across the landscape. Today, some large insurers are involved significantly in products such as data revealing the number of days of use, the time at which the car is used, the parameters of speed and braking.

According to the new European rules, all cars must be equipped with this technology by October 2015 to be easily identified by emergency services in case of accident. It will always be possible for motorists to deny insurers’ use of this system in return for an increase in the premium.