Usage Based Insurance Is What Competent Drivers Want

By Pauline X. Lewis


Good driver policies are quickly being replaced with usage based insurance that permits companies to see policyholders' driving patterns by assessing on a consistent basis how they perform on the road. This gives a much more detailed profile of drivers in determining risk levels and reducing the number of claims.

This tool for measuring driver behavior, known as telematics, gives insurance companies a personal measure because each policyholder is assessed on his or her driving skills in areas like hard braking, fast acceleration, distances travelled and following traffic regulations. Up until now, good driver premiums were initially based on the lack of claims, but insurance companies really did not know how drivers performed on the road daily. Even though good drivers might receive a premium reduction, they were all regarded as having the same level of competency.

Through telematics, usage based insurance will be viewed as an accurate and fair measure of driving patterns because it is individualized and an impartial assessment. A bone of contention among policyholders was whether they were accurately being assessed for their driving abilities when it came to getting a discount on their premium, but this will no longer be an issue. The versatility of this technology goes much further with other useful data gathering applications that measure young drivers' skills improvement, fleet operators to know where and how their vehicles are being used, and rental companies to keep track of their vehicles and to keep an accurate user history of their inventory.

Data gathering through telematics for the purpose of usage based insurance is provided by a secure integrated wireless network that is comparative to what banking institutions use, firmware is upgraded remotely and IT support and multilingual customer service is readily available. Third parties for installation are not needed as the telematics device is designed for self-installation. The device is also produced to generate additional revenue for the client with the policyholder being able to subscribe for helpful driver assistance services that can instantly summons aid, monitor vehicle functions like battery condition that will become more important with the increasing number of electric vehicles (EV) on the road.

The insurance industry is extremely competitive and companies need to stay on the cutting edge by providing their clients with creative programs, and usage based insurance has this capability as well as increasing the accuracy of information. This turnkey solution of amalgamating telematics with usage based insurance provides a much needed service for underwriters, insurance firms and policyholders.




About the Author: