UK Poll: 70% of Speeding Drivers Would Slow Down For Cheaper Insurance
November 21, 2011As part of Road Safety Week (21st-27th Nov) recent research by leading telematics provider Trimble indicates that six out of ten UK motorists admit to speeding on Britain’s roads. However, 70 per cent of drivers would be tempted to slow down if they would benefit from cheaper car insurance.
The finding comes in a national survey of 2,000 drivers conducted for Trimble by market research firm OnePoll.
According to the announcement, a further 70 per cent of respondees were in favour of insurance prices being closely linked to the driver-behaviour behind the wheel. This further endorses the increased use of available technology that enables insurers to monitor an individual motorist’s driving behaviour and then price his or her policy accordingly.
“Understanding how, when and where someone drives is the fairest way of assessing risk,” said Andrew Yeoman, managing director of Trimble Fleet Solutions in Europe. “We are already providing this technology to fleets who not only share the driver behaviour information with insurers to reduce their premiums but also utilise it internally to identify the drivers who are most at risk.
“In addition to any financial incentive, there is also an in-vehicle element that provides instant feedback to the driver so they can see how they are driving and take immediate steps to improve their driving style - which could mean safer roads for everyone,” Yeoman added.
Road-safety charity Brake, organisers of Road Safety Week, weighed-in on Trimble’s findings:
“Trimble’s research provides valuable evidence that offering drivers financial incentives to slow down could be very effective in reducing drivers’ speed,” commented Martin Howard, spokesperson for Brake. “Speeding is one of the major causes of the deaths and serious injuries which occur every day on UK roads, and causes devastation to families and communities. Brake therefore welcomes all attempts to raise awareness about the need to slow down and help save lives.”
According to the research by OnePoll, over 57 per cent of drivers admit that they would drive faster than the speed limit if they were in a rush to get somewhere, but the appeal of cheaper car insurance would discourage around 70 per cent from doing so.
Only 25 per cent of motorists said they would not be tempted to slow down.
While across the UK, an average of 58 per cent of drivers said that they would break the speed limit, there were some significant regional differences.
The worst offenders were in Yorkshire and the Humber (96 per cent), The North West (93 per cent), The West Midlands (93 per cent), East Anglia (92 per cent), London (91 per cent) and The East Midlands (90 per cent).
The most conscientious areas for road safety (according to the number of people suggesting they were willing to speed when hurried) were The North East (10 per cent), Scotland (11 per cent), The South West (13 per cent), The South East (13 per cent) and Wales (18 per cent).
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