No matter how carefully you drive on the road, the risk of an accident will always be there. Drink drivers, out-of-control wildlife and medical emergencies make it impossible to stay 100% safe at all times.
Installing a black box in your car can offer much more than just money off your car insurance premiums. In fact, it can actually help you prove your innocence in the event of an unfortunate accident.
Just like black boxes in aeroplanes help determine the cause of a plane crash, black boxes in cars can help insurers ascertain what caused a collision and the events that led up to it.
In this article, we take a look at how a black box could help prove your innocence in the event of a road traffic collision.
What Is A Black Box?
Also known as a telematics device, a black box is a small tracking device that insurers use to monitor and assess a policyholder's driving behaviour. The black box collects data on various aspects of a policyholder's driving habits and vehicle usage, such as journey time, speed, acceleration, and braking. The insurance company then uses this data to calculate a premium.
Safe and responsible drivers could see their premiums reduced; however, dangerous and reckless drivers could see their premiums increase or even cancelled altogether.
Read more about black box insurance and its benefits in our guide.
Can A Black Box Prove Your Innocence In An Accident?
When an insurer is assessing your accident claim to determine liability, they will obtain various types of evidence, including CCTV footage, eyewitness statements, police reports and your account of the event.
Black boxes can potentially provide valuable evidence to prove your innocence in an accident. These devices record various data related to your vehicle's operation, which your insurer can use to determine liability.
Here's how…
It Tracks Vehicle Speed
The black box records the speed of your vehicle leading up to and at the time of the accident. If the data shows that you were driving at a reasonable speed, it could prove that the accident did not result from speeding.
It Measures Acceleration and Braking
Data from the black box can show whether you were accelerating or braking during the accident. If the data indicates that you were not accelerating suddenly or braking excessively, it can help establish that you were driving cautiously and responsibly.
It Records Impact Severity
The black box can record the forces involved in the collision, which can help determine the severity of the impact. If the data shows that you were hit by another vehicle with great force, it could indicate the other driver was speeding.
It Shows Collision Location and Time
The black box can provide precise information about the accident's location, date, and time. This data can be compared with other evidence, such as witness statements and the other driver's account, to establish the accident's circumstances.
Having a black box installed in your car will not only help reduce your insurance premiums and promote safer driving but could also support you with critical evidence in the unfortunate event of an accident.
Thanks to the advanced monitoring capabilities of a black box, your insurer can retrieve critical information needed to help identify the cause of an accident and the events that led up to it and ultimately prove your innocence.
However, in contrast, if you are speeding, braking harshly, or accelerating too quickly, this could impact your claim's outcome.