Cameras used to Lower Young Driver Car Insurance Premiums

If you are a young driver you may be able to cut the costs of your motor insurance premiums thanks to a new device. Staffordshire County Council integrated cameras into cars in the area in a bid to reduce the number of road fatalities involving teenaged motorists. The trial was deemed a success as it significantly reduced the kinds of driving behaviour that are associated with accidents. The cameras are fixed beneath the bonnets of cars and capture reckless driving behaviour, such as speeding and taking corners too fast. Once the information is stored, parents can see how safe their teenagers drive by accessing the camera's inbuilt software. The devices begin recording when vehicles are driven over 70mph and at other potentially-dangerous driving, such as pulling away too quickly when overtaking. Council chiefs are keen to reduce the risk new motorists pose as current government statistics calculate that the chances of you being involved in an accident is much higher if you are 18-years-old. Figures reveal that 48-year-old motorists are three times less likely to crash their cars as compared with drivers aged 18. In addition, up to 20 per cent of young drivers will make a car insurance claim due to having an accident in the 12 months after they have passed their driving test. The number of accidents caused by young drivers could be reduced if the cameras were nationally rolled out. During the council trial, the incidences of reckless driving by young motorists reduced by a huge 58 per cent. The motorists also appeared to driver slower generally, as less fuel was used during the trial period, meaning they are less likely to have an accident. Officials from the council recently announced that they would like to see 1,000 more cars receiving the software, in order to make roads safer. Called GreenRoad Safety Center, the software could also help to decrease young driver car insurance premiums as well as cutting road deaths. Andrew Howard, head of road safety at the AA, told the Times that the devices could benefit young drivers and their parents if they currently subsidise their childrens' insurance policies. “Parents are usually paying for the car and lending money for the insurance, so that should help persuade the teenager to accept it," he said. "By the time they become financially independent, most will have got past the crucial high-risk period.” Even if you do not have a camera fitted beneath the bonnet of your car you can still find good deals on your car insurance as a young motorist. Insurance companies can sometimes let you have a discount if you go on a parent's policy as a named driver, for example.