While using a handheld mobile phone while driving is already illegal, a survey has found insurance policyholders would like a discount to their premiums for avoiding any type of mobile phone use behind the wheel.
A survey conducted by Consumer Intelligence for LexisNexis Risk Solutions and its UK telematics business Wunelli has found 60% of over 1,300 people surveyed said avoiding any mobile phone use behind the wheel should be a top factor used by insurers in offering lower premiums.
VP of telematics for Wunelli Selim Cavanagh said using telematics can meet this need by making sure drivers are not paying for the poor behaviour of others.
“From our research, the vast majority of motorists understand this but there is evidently a great opportunity for insurers and brokers to consider how they can tap into this growing level of awareness and the corresponding expectations motorists have over how they should be rewarded,” said Cavanagh.
In-car telematics can enable insurers to detect if a person is using their phone while behind the wheel. According to LexisNexis’s findings, 78% of motorists are comfortable with insurers using driving behaviour data sourced from a fixed device or smartphone app to determine the price they pay for insurance.
The research also suggested loyalty discounts are more important to customers than multi-policy discounts. Eighty one per cent of motorists said they wanted loyalty to be considered as opposed to 58% for multi policy plans.
“To satisfy this demand for fairer pricing based on actual rather than predicted driving behaviour, the insurance sector needs to break down the barriers to telematics adoption,” said Cavanagh.
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