‘Black box’ insurance has helped reduce the number of young drivers killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents, according to data released by research analysts LexisNexis.
The number has fallen by 35% since 2011 from 18,529 to 11,984, contrasting with a 16% fall for the entire population (203,950 to 170,993).
The difference between younger and older drivers is the former’s use of telematics, with four in five motorists aged between 17 and 19 driving a car fitted with a black box that monitors and records their performance behind the wheel.
In total, there were 975,000 live policies in 2017, reflecting the surge in drivers making use of the technology to bring their premiums down.
The drop in young driver casualties and deaths comes despite a 7% increase in the number of driving licences held across all ages since 2012 to 40.5 million.
UK road casualty statistics were analysed by specialists LexisNexis Risk Solutions and compared with the number of telematics policies currently in use.
Its director, Graham Gordon, said: “Our analysis and interpretation of the publicly-available road casualty statistics factors for key road safety advances such as improved roads, better junction design and new car safety technology.
“But the patent downward trend in the 17-19 age bracket points to an additional factor at play: the increasing availability and adoption of telematics insurance.
“Young drivers remain the riskiest drivers on our roads, but the insurance sector deserves a great deal of credit for developing an insurance product that encourages safer driving and delivers fairer pricing to young drivers based on their road behaviour.”
