Following on from last week’s news about the SmartMarmalade device that intends to measure the safety and ability of young drivers in order to more accurately provide insurance premiums, the Co-operative Insurance has also launched their own device for similar purposes.

The Smartbox is roughly the size of an iPod and is installed by a qualified engineer to your car (in a non noticeable area so that it doesn’t grab the attention of potential thieves) where it will pick up satellites to calculate position, and then wirelessly measure both your cornering speeds and your acceleration.

The purpose of the device is primarily to measure the safety of younger drivers so that those that prove themselves to be responsible and sensible drivers will be rewarded with lower insurance premiums.  With policies for young drivers increasing by an average of 58% over the past year, it is definitely a sellable idea.

The Co-operative Director of General Insurance David Neave commented that ‘many young people are simply being priced out of owning a car due to the escalating cost of motor insurance for young drivers. To ensure we do not end up with an entire generation priced out of car ownership we are giving them a chance to prove themselves as responsible drivers, and dispel the assumption that all young drivers will drive badly and have accidents.’

Not only has the idea been greeted with positivity by many young drivers, it has also been lauded by Brake, a road safety charity that cares for bereaved and injured crash victims.   Director of Campaigns at Brake welcomed the technology, noting that ‘Persuading young drivers to make safer choices like slowing down and avoiding night-time driving is vital in preventing more lives being needlessly cut short on our roads.’

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