Monday, October 10, 2011

Can Computer-Aided Driving Lower One’s Car Insurance Premiums?

Given that the steepness of one’s car insurance premiums is directly proportional to their accident risk, can computer-aided driving result in a more equitable policy?

By: Ringo Bones

Given that there is now a near ubiquity of GPS navigation in the latest car models, the world’s leading automotive manufacturers have now engaged themselves in a toe-in-the-water exercise on the commercial viability of automotive computers that help improve ones driving skills – safety wise. As of late, lane-departure warning devices – computer-based smart devices that use the white lines on the road as a guide - have been tried out in order to improve the road safety aspect of one’s driving skills. They emit an audible warning to the driver whenever he or she deviates from the straight path, given that less-than-sober drivers swerve in and out of their designated lane.

Andrew Yeoman, managing director of Trimble – an in-car mini computer that collects data of one’s driving performance and also provides driving tips – could allow a driver’s insurance premiums to go down by making him or her into a less accident-prone driver. As of the late, the Trimble system had received good reviews by those who tried it out. Unfortunately, as with similar in-car driving aid computers, they don’t work reliably in not-so-well-maintained roadways where the white dividing lines are already faded off. If computer-aided driving becomes commonplace, will in-car computers that drives our cars more safely than us be the next big thing in automotive accessories?