"Black boxes" for insurance

[Volvo2002]

Originally Posted by t5_monkey

unless you NEVER speed, drive quickly, or do anything wrong, or even legitimately enjoy the performance of your vehicle.... this is a rather bad idea.

Not really.

I do all the above and still hold a 5/5 rating on my dashboard. Again as I've said before these boxes are nothing like that.

[Volvo2002]

My own personal dashboard rating

[Bendolfc]

Driving at night is dangerous? Really?

[Volvo2002]

Originally Posted by Bendolfc

Driving at night is dangerous? Really?

Well it certainly requires more concentration...

Reduced visibility = more chance of having an accident.

Also night time isn't necessarily dangerous, however there are "dangerous hours" or higher risk hours of the night. Not sure where they get the statistics from though.

The policy though isn't for everyone though and it just so happens it's perfect for my current circumstances.

[AcidicDavey]

Originally Posted by Bendolfc

Driving at night is dangerous? Really?

Of course it is!!!

Most accidents happen at the darker times!

[Volvo2002]

Originally Posted by AcidicDavey

Of course it is!!!

Most accidents happen at the darker times!

I've also found that at night speeding is more evident. Drivers use the empty roads to push their cars and it's easy to see an accident happening when they go round a bend too quickly, don't see your headlights and go wide ending up in a smash.

If you have a job that requires you drive at the early hours then this box isn't for you, however for most younger drivers it will be absolutely fine. Also you can drive at these hours, I've done it! Picked my brother up from a night club at 1.30am. It was a necessary journey and co-op explain this on their site.

The times of the day that you drive your car is a key influence on the likelihood of you having an accident. Statistics show that, particularly for younger drivers, driving between 11pm at night and 6am in the morning are the most risky.

The data supplied by Smartbox allows us to measure the times that you drive and what proportion of your driving time is during that risky period. When you start your policy your driving score will be at “Standard”. As you drive your car we measure how often you actually drive during the risky times and allocate a score.

The higher your score the safer the times that you drive. A lower score indicates that your car is being driven during the risky period more frequently than we expected when we initially calculated your premium.

Also...

There is no curfew with our Young Driver insurance. Night time driving is considered a more dangerous time because that is when the worst accidents happen. If you drive a lot between 11pm and 6am you may find that your night time score is bad. But because we take the average of 4 factors: speed, acceleration/braking, cornering and time of day, you can still drive at night and achieve a score that will get you a discount - providing that all your other scores are very good.

[t5_monkey]

have any of you who like this system read 1984 ?

I do not want a box telling me how to drive! FFS... if you want to drive smoothly and slowly, you'd buy a 1.6

When I get old and my willy falls off, I'll happily get one of these boxes - till then, I'll stick with old school!

[volvorocks]

Originally Posted by t5_monkey

I do not want a box telling me how to drive! FFS... if you want to drive smoothly and slowly, you'd buy a 1.6

We all have a box in our cars telling us how sensibly we should drive. I rely heavily on mine. My brain..!!

[silestanix]

Originally Posted by t5_monkey

have any of you who like this system read 1984 ?

I do not want a box telling me how to drive! FFS... if you want to drive smoothly and slowly, you'd buy a 1.6

When I get old and my willy falls off, I'll happily get one of these boxes - till then, I'll stick with old school!

Yup, George Orwell...that's exactly what I think of when I see these boxes, ANPR, etc...like for f*cks sake... :\

[Volvo2002]

Originally Posted by t5_monkey

have any of you who like this system read 1984 ?

I do not want a box telling me how to drive! FFS... if you want to drive smoothly and slowly, you'd buy a 1.6

When I get old and my willy falls off, I'll happily get one of these boxes - till then, I'll stick with old school!

With respect mate I feel you are missing the point of these boxes.

They were not made for drivers like yourself who drive performance vehicles designed for spirited driving characteristics, no. They were designed for younger drivers, mainly in the 17-24 age bracket. In that age group insurance can quite easily price you out of driving altogether. Some people get quoted ridiculous prices to insure even the most basic cars such as a Ford Fiesta or even a 1.0 Toyota Aygo. My quotes for my 1.8 were in the 2k region! Once I got this box my cars running has been a lot easier for myself who doesn't currently work. Mind you even if I did I can't see myself getting rid of my box because it doesn't punish you in the way you may think it would.

For example would you expect the insurance policy to be cancelled if you overtake and exceed 80mph? I bet many here would. Done it myself plenty of times since starting this policy. Smoother driving is much more relaxing anyway and means I can fire up my cd player and sit back and admire the lovely Scottish scenery.