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09

UK insurance industry urged to offer dashcam discounts

Open-access content Tuesday 8th September 2015 — updated 5.50pm, Wednesday 29th April 2020

UK insurers have been urged to offer discounts to drivers willing to have a dashcam fitted in their cars.

2

Price comparison site uSwitch.com said currently few insurers offered such discounts but "any new technology that helps responsible drivers keep the brakes on rising premiums should be embraced".

Based on a survey of 2,132 UK adult motorists, uSwitch.com said 27% of drivers involved in accidents where they were not to blame faced higher premiums because they could not prove their innocence.

It said installing a dashboard camera, or dashcam, which records the view through a car's windscreen, could support a driver's case.

However, only 15% of drivers had the technology installed in their cars. The main reason for not having a dashcam was drivers doubted it would have an impact on the cost of their premium. 

The average amount of saving on premiums drivers would like to see to consider installing a dashcam is £90, said uSwitch.com.

More than eight in 10 (86%) respondents believe the technology could protect them against fraudulent claims and a further 75% said it could make a claim quicker. A third (35%) believed having a dashcam fitted in their car would make them better drivers. 

The survey also reported nearly seven in 10 motorists (69%) would be happy to share their own dashcam footage with insurers even if they were at fault during an accident. 

However uSwitch.com said 40% believed the technology was too expensive to purchase and a further 23% said having a dashcam would make their car "more desirable to thieves".

Rod Jones, insurance expert at uSwitch.com, said: "Unfortunately, it's not a case of innocent until proven guilty when it comes to car insurance. With so many motorists facing hefty insurance premium increases after making a claim, anything they can do to prove their innocence should get the green light.

"Installing dashcams in cars could save both drivers and insurers time and money. However, not enough insurers will take these devices into account when they quote." 

Jones urged insurers to offer dashcam discounts in the same way providers already do for telematics. 

"Any new technology that helps responsible drivers keep the brakes on rising premiums should be embraced," he said.

This article appeared in our September 2015 issue of The Actuary .
Click here to view this issue

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