ThingCo Highlights Young Driver Risk When UK Clocks Change

Useful data here for insurance brands with a Motor book;

New data analysis from telematics insurtech, ThingCo, identifies the significant increase in risk of accidents involving young drivers as more essential journeys take place in the dark after the end of British Summer Time on Sunday 25th October. Despite motorists spending less time on the roads and fewer speeding incidents, an 82.4% increase in accident alerts relative to driving time has been identified in the three weeks immediately after the clock change, compared to the weeks leading up to the change.

“As the nights draw in, it is the perfect time to remind motor insurance policy holders – and in particular new and young drivers – of the basic checks and precautions they can take to reduce risk of collision in the darker months,” commented Dr Carlo Conner-Hill, Head of Data Analytics at ThingCo. “By taking this proactive approach, insurers can mitigate the financial impact of a spike in collisions immediately after clock-change.”

The majority of users of the ThingCo Theo telematics device are new and young drivers aged between 17 and 25. The new analysis is therefore critical for this high risk group of motorists.

ThingCo analysis revealed a strong correlation between drivers’ propensity to speed, and the light conditions, with less driving and fewer speeding offences occurring during low light hours. However, despite this reduction in speeding and road usage the low light conditions still cause a huge increase in the number of accident alerts occurring after sunset and before sunrise. One major cause is the increase in regular daily driving occurring when the light level is lower than in the summer months. The clock change pushes the usual peaks in driving such as mid-afternoon school runs and early evening commutes into darkness.

As well as roads being darker from late October, they are also more likely to be wet and slippery. Therefore, healthy tyres, effective windscreen wipers and fully working, correctly aligned lights are more important than ever. These are also simple checks insurers can encourage drivers to carry out themselves before taking to the road this winter.

Dr Conner-Hill continued: “Telematics data is invaluable for its ability to flag higher-risk driving behaviour and habits, enabling insurers to carry out targeted intervention and education where required. Simple reminders can bring significant improvements, while incentives to carry out vehicle maintenance checks or additional nighttime driver training could improve safety on the roads and reduce risk even further.”