Road collisions aren’t always about speed, or drink/drug driving. The risk scenarios are varied and understanding high risk patterns of behaviour, traffic flow, vehicle and roads maintenance etc is always useful for insurance brands. Here’s the latest research partnership news from AXA;
AXA UK and Brake, the road safety charity and activist group, have announced a new corporate partnership, aiming to publish a series of reports on driver behaviour and opinions on topics related to driving safely and sustainably.
The partnership will see Brake and AXA UK conduct research and produce insight reports looking into safe and sustainable driving. Research topics will include the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on road safety, driver opinions on self-driving vehicles and the importance of driver education.
Dougie Barnett, Director of Customer Risk Management at AXA UK commented;
“We are pleased to be partnering with Brake to further understand customer behaviour around safe and green driving. At AXA UK, we are committed to improving road safety, lowering emissions and supporting the development of mobility so it is accessible and affordable for all. As research partner, we hope our insight encourages safe driving practices and raises awareness of more sustainable transport options.”
ROAD CASUALTIES ARE ON THE DECLINE
The most recent UK government stats on accidents show a steady decrease, with fatal road collisions at 1,760 people killed during Jun-2021-Jun 2022. That is 4% down on the 2019 stats. Serious injuries are down 6% as well. This is dspite the increasing number of vehicles on UK roads each year, plus a rising population overall, plus an estimated 1 million uninsured drivers on the roads – according to MIB estimates.
Most globalist governments are now on board with Net Zero, which means ever lower speed limits, on all roads. Less money is being spent on road repair, Wales has cancelled all new road projects. Instead of spending on pothole repairs Councils and Highways Agency budgets are being spent on cycle lanes, bus gates and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, (LTNs) with roads blocked off completely to vehicles.
All that will lead to more traffic jams, slower speeds and therefore less serious collisions in terms of vehicle damage and injuries. The UK government might also pause on constructing new smart or all-lanes-running motorways too, which could reduce the serious accidents involving broken down vehicles in the future. So if there are fewer collisions overall as a percentage of the vehicle parc, plus speeds are lower, insurers stand to save money in the long run. Especially as smartphone tech, digital ID and in-car sensors/cameras, plus ADAS data, all speed up the claims process.
LTNs MAY HAVE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
That’s the good news. On the downside claims costs are rising as newer cars are often complex in terms of repair. Pure electric EVs are very heavy, which can exacerbate damage with other cars or people, plus they carry a battery fire risk and global parts supply chain problems seem to be ongoing. Add in rising labour/storage costs in the motor repair and bodyshop sector and insurers face challenges in dealing with claims, plus providing expensive “green” replacement vehicles during longer repair cycles.
As traffic becomes gridlocked on urban roads near LTNs emissions will rise on the few arterial routes that remain usable. As people are penned in and charged ULEZ/CAZ taxes simply to drive to work or the shops, there will be more incidents of conflict between road users, failed local businesses, plus rising home delivery and repair costs as tradespeople find themselves forced to buy electric vans to carry out daily work. Insurers may find that slightly lower costs on their Motor book are being offset by rising costs on Commercial as retail and commercial buildings are rapidly abandoned in town/city centres over the next 3-5 years.
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