Project explores safety rating benefits for young drivers
A new collaboration will explore how insurance policies can help to reduce road safety for younger drivers.
The Young Driver Insurance Safety Framework project, funded through Transport Scotland’s Road Safety Framework Fund and led by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), includes experts from researchers, road safety organisations and insurance specialists.
It will test whether a safety rating system could help young drivers and parents look beyond price and consider proven safety features when choosing motor insurance.
The research will focus on telematics, examining which driving behaviours are measured and how feedback and incentives are delivered.
Jamie Hassall, executive director of PACTS, said: “Price understandably matters to young drivers and their families, but it can be harder to judge how effectively a policy supports safer driving.
“We want to test whether a safety rating could make that support easier to recognise and compare, helping families make informed choices and encouraging improvements across the market.
Project lead Dr Neale Kinnear of Affective Mobility added: “Telematics insurance can play a significant role in managing young driver risk, but the design and delivery of a product is critical to its effectiveness for improving safety.
“Consumers need a way to quickly assess differences between products, but any information or rating system needs a credible foundation.
“We will develop the assessment criteria and test whether the resulting information is understandable and useful to consumers, practical for industry and capable of influencing choices. We will also examine its limitations and possible unintended consequences.”
