Skip to main content

Telematics devices ‘prompt changes in driving behaviour’

More than half (56 per cent) of the drivers participating in an Insurance Research Council (IRC) online public opinion survey have made changes in how they drive since installing a telematics device provided by their insurance company in their primary vehicle. The report, Auto Insurance Telematics: Consumer Attitudes and Opinions, also claims that 36 per cent of respondents said they have made small changes in how they drive and 18 per cent said they have made significant changes. Thirty-eight per cent s
November 23, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
More than half (56 per cent) of the drivers participating in an Insurance Research Council (IRC) online public opinion survey have made changes in how they drive since installing a telematics device provided by their insurance company in their primary vehicle.

The report, Auto Insurance Telematics: Consumer Attitudes and Opinions, also claims that 36 per cent of respondents said they have made small changes in how they drive and 18 per cent said they have made significant changes. Thirty-eight per cent said they have made no changes in their driving practices since having a device installed. Drivers aged 65 and above were significantly less likely than other drivers to report making changes in how they drive.

A substantial majority (82 per cent) of survey respondents with telematics devices provided by their auto insurance company reported receiving information from their insurance company about their driving behaviour after having a device installed. Eighty-one percent of those receiving information said they reviewed the information and 88 percent of those reviewing the information said they found the information to be helpful.

“These findings suggest that having telematics devices installed in vehicles can play a beneficial role in promoting safe driving and reducing the frequency of auto accidents and their associated costs,” said Elizabeth Sprinkel, senior vice president of the IRC. “While we can’t say with certainty that the changes drivers make are always for the better, or whether beneficial changes that are made become permanent, we can confidently say that the introduction and use of telematics technology is a move in the right direction,” said Sprinkel.

Related Content

  • Need for simpler urban tolling solutions
    January 10, 2013
    A common assumption, even amongst informed observers, is that there’s but a handful of urban charging schemes in operation around the world and scant prospect of that changing any time soon. Larger city-sized schemes such as Singapore, London and Stockholm come readily to mind but if we take a wider view and also consider urban access control and Low Emission Zones (LEZs) then the picture changes rather radically. There is a notable concentration of such schemes in Europe but worldwide the number is comfort
  • Intel investing in vehicles’ connected future
    November 30, 2012
    Prospects for a vision of vehicles fully connected to traffic information, safety and entertainment services are being boosted by a $100 million investment from Intel. Pete Goldin reports. Hear the name Intel and what comes to mind is processing power. What may not be realised is that Intel is positioned to become a major player in the automotive technologies market, including connected vehicle technology. To strengthen this position, the company’s investment arm, Intel Capital, has established a $100 milli
  • Women in ITS: "You can’t be what you can’t see"
    March 4, 2025
    Bias – unconscious or otherwise – is a major problem when it comes to ensuring that ITS businesses reflect the diversity of the talent pool available to them. But there are practical solutions to challenges which have made the playing field uneven…
  • VW scandal prompts emissions testing debate
    December 1, 2015
    In the wake of the VW scandal John Kendall looks at emissions testing on both sides of the Atlantic. Since the VW emissions story broke in September, emissions testing has come under greater scrutiny, and none more so than in Europe, where critics have long been highlighting the weaknesses of the testing system. Ironically, changes to the emissions testing process were already under review but the story has pushed it up the agenda.