A new industry study led by The Floow found that almost a third of British insurers (32%) believe they need access to data on actual driver behaviour in order to tackle the rising problem of driver distraction. Distracted driving is associated with more than a third of fatal car crashes in the UK – mobile phone use along with daydreaming, drinking, smoking and adjusting controls all having a part to play as 72% of UK drivers admit to multi-tasking at the wheel.

The study asked UK insurance chiefs what they would like driver data on in order to better assess risk and the pricing of insurance. Overall, 74% of respondents said they wanted access to data on actual driver behaviour, with better understanding of driver distraction being the top area, followed by data on erratic breaking (26%) and the average speed of a journey (26%).

Although UK insurance bosses express a desire to make better use of telematics, the poll suggests the nation is lagging behind the US and mainland Europe in understanding how telematics can help insurers manage risk and make people safer on the roads. Further, insurance leaders in the US and mainland Europe were significantly more likely than their UK counterparts to identify the specific aspects of driver behaviour where telematics could add real insight and value.

“As a fast growing company – and a global leader in telematics – we are moving quickly to respond to growing insurer demand for greater knowledge on driver distraction. We have the scale and experience to offer a proven, production-ready solution to companies that want to adopt telematics to improve safe driving and better manage insurance risk. The combination of our access to big data combined with world-class data scientists has helped us model personal scores for all drivers. Giving people access to these scores, as well as advice, incentives and coaching to improve them, reduces accidents, prevents driver distraction and makes drivers more self-aware when they are behind the wheel,” explained Aldo Monteforte, CEO of The Floow.

To help tackle the issue of driver distraction, the business has recently launched FloowDrive, which, for the first time, sees the telematics market opened up to all companies that want to support safe driving. Any company can be up and running in a matter of days for a cost-effective sum.