I'd never have one of those boxes!! Insurance is a joke anyway, I just renewed the insurance on the wife's 51 plate 1.8td fiesta for £230 for the year and then this week sold it and changed the policy to a octavia vrs and it's £280 for the year!! How the hell can a octy vrs be £50 more than a crappy old diesel fiesta?? I suppose they are both 1.8 turbo lol but just goes to show there's no real thought behind the prices

I'm amazed that at 17 I can insure a 1.7 Van for £500 cheaper than a 1.2 Clio

I'm looking at about £2300 going fully comp so this is the only option at the moment, i have paid more then that in the past, mainly the post code where i live because i've tried quotes at friends addresses not too far away and they are less then half that.

 

I know the Fabia isn't the cheapest to insure as it is, but the quotes are only about £100 more then what i would cost on a 52 plate 1.2 Corsa, tried loads of cars and the difference isn't huge.

I'm looking at about £2300 going fully comp so this is the only option at the moment, i have paid more then that in the past, mainly the post code where i live because i've tried quotes at friends addresses not too far away and they are less then half that.

I know the Fabia isn't the cheapest to insure as it is, but the quotes are only about £100 more then what i would cost on a 52 plate 1.2 Corsa, tried loads of cars and the difference isn't huge.

Try a van

My 18-year old lad has just passed his test and has a black box in his car. Why? Well the Bank of Mum and Dad gave him the car and the Bank of Mum and Dad are paying the insurance so we feel that we have the right. Yes, it does mean that he can't drive between 2300 and 0600 and he has to drive responsibly, but I reckon that's no bad thing in his first year of driving. And it's a 69bhp Mk 1 Ford Ka so not likely to be speeding!

 

When he gets a job and starts paying for it himself then he can choose. Until then, tough!

 

To add some perspective, the black box insurance was £1000 for the year so a MASSIVE saving on non-black box insurance. When we took the policy out he was at boarding school so didn't drive the car a lot and he will be going to university in September so the car will be unused for several weeks at a time. Under these circumstances, this is a good value policy and will help him build his NCB. I do understand that it does not suit everyone but its horses for courses.

WALOB

I wouldn't entertain this for a millisecond.

How can a few basic sensors on the car really tell how a person is driving ? What about some idiot that has cruise control on and doing their makeup etc ? Is that not dangerous? Bet they don't monitor that.

 

Its like the stupid campaign organisations that are fully focussed on speed and don't look at the bigger picture with regard to accidents - like for instance junctions and turnings. Or driver concentration. Or for that matter "in car technology" itself - that could itself be what causes someone to have an accident.

 

Nothing wrong with someone driving within their abilities with reasonable care for the road

 

Thankfully I'm old enough that this kind of "technology" is something that hopefully only the young have to worry. The point they force it upon us as mainstream, I think I might just hang up my car keys for good, but I don't see it happening to be honest. Well if they do you might as well, and as for driving pleasure it will be a thing of the past (played on consoles perhaps) and with these stupid taxi style car tech ferrying people about instead. Yawn

 

No thanks Its a horrible Orwellian concept

"The in-tele-box sends us the following information:

The tele-in-box helps you save money on your car insurance

        The time of day or night you drive - none of your god damn business !!
        The speed you drive at on different sorts of road - none of your business !!
        If you brake or accelerate sharply - if you have to brake you have to brake !! You insure the car according to performance already, and for accidents inccured, this is just another means to over charge !!
        If you take breaks on long journeys - I might be more safe on long journeys without breaks than some who take them !! Not had a single accident on a long journey yet !!
        Your motorway miles - how is that relevant to safety ??
        Your total mileage - how is that relevant to safety ?? More likely so they can just put your premium up / to ensure you do the miles you claim
        The total number of journeys you make" - none of your god damn business !!
 

Lets be clear insurance is just part of the financial sector and the less said about my opinion to that the better.

WALOB

I wouldn't entertain this for a millisecond.

How can a few basic sensors on the car really tell how a person is driving ? What about some idiot that has cruise control on and doing their makeup etc ? Is that not dangerous? Bet they don't monitor that.

Its like the stupid campaign organisations that are fully focussed on speed and don't look at the bigger picture with regard to accidents - like for instance junctions and turnings. Or driver concentration. Or for that matter "in car technology" itself - that could itself be what causes someone to have an accident.

Nothing wrong with someone driving within their abilities with reasonable care for the road

Thankfully I'm old enough that this kind of "technology" is something that hopefully only the young have to worry. The point they force it upon us as mainstream, I think I might just hang up my car keys for good, but I don't see it happening to be honest. Well if they do you might as well, and as for driving pleasure it will be a thing of the past (played on consoles perhaps) and with these stupid taxi style car tech ferrying people about instead. Yawn

No thanks

That's why I like my Roadhawk 2Ch in the front as it faces road and also clearly shows who the driver is and what they are doing as well as my Blackvue rear facing camera

If I had no choice but to have one, I would be wiggling some wires about.......

If I had no choice but to have one, I would be wiggling some wires about.......

I've always wondered do they tap in to the cars original wiring if so surely they leave wires when removed

I've got a black box, as it's my first year of driving, and it would have cost an extra £500 not to have one. That's basically the £500 I have left over from my inheritance I got from my grandad when he died last year after buying the car etc. which means I can afford to insure it for another subsequent year without having to worry. My insurance is due for renewal about a month after I finish my masters and will be looking for work, so to have a car and not worry about insuring it when I'll not be sure of my income is a huge bonus - that's my justification for the black box.

 

It does depend on your policy though as to what you gain/lose from it. I'm with hastings smart miles, and they won't charge me for breaking any curfew, they won't charge me unless i exceed 15k miles, which I know i won't, I think it's only really there so that they can offer me cheaper insurance next year. Driving 'badly' will affect my renewal price, but I don't think it will have any effect on any other insurance quotes from any other companies.

 

I agree that it's bull**** though, I have an 'average' score currently, with fairly poor marks for braking and acceleration (around 13% and 23% haha) - as others have said, sometimes you HAVE to put your foot down or slam on the brakes to get out of a dangerous situation. Unfortunately, as soon as you do that even once, it ruins your score for the entire drive (I've had a bit of a play to see what happens, you really have to drive like an old lady to get a good score, and we all know how dangerous slower drivers can be). But then I rarely feel the need to speed, so I have a pretty good score for that (97%) and don't drive at night too often. I like to think I'm a better driver than your average idiot that doesn't pay attention to anyone around them, but then everyone likes to think that, don't they?

 

Next year I'll not be having a box, just because I won't need one any more, but it's done me fine for my first year of driving. And to be honest, the thought of getting caught speeding twice and losing my license after I've only just gotten it is enough to keep me from driving like a dickhead (most of the time), black box or not.

I've always wondered do they tap in to the cars original wiring if so surely they leave wires when removed

It's probably all scotch locks!!! Haha. Professional I is.

Surely there will be a main power that could 'wiggle loose' under normal driving[emoji6]

Just read somewhere saying they can be wires into the vehicles main harness.

No thank you. Stuff that box somewhere......

Just shows how ridiculous it is that they can give you poor marks for acceleration on a MPI !! (you haven't switched it with a 2.0 engine have you??).

Its a great reliable block that will last forever I'm sure but not noted for its acceleration, I particularly hated any kind of incline at say 40mph, you'd have to revv the balls off it in 2nd just to make sure when you change gear it didn't start to decelerate in 3rd !

Sorry but it wouldn't pull the skin off a custard pudding and brakes aren't superb, its a fine car though, robust and enduring but the idea of persecuting someone for bad driving in one, I don't think its even possible is it lol.

Well the reverse cap brigade go for lighter 1.2 novas etc so I'm actually quite stunned they can amass any data to suggest you are acelerating or braking heavily. Just show walob it is.

Walob. Never seen that before. Actually quite funny.

I had the option to save £300 with a box but I didn't. I had an app on my phone from

Aviva that you use for 200 miles to get a score to see if you'd save on insurance. There was a competition on another forum to get the lowest score haha!

Just shows how ridiculous it is that they can give you poor marks for acceleration on a MPI !! (you haven't switched it with a 2.0 engine have you??).

Its a great reliable block that will last forever I'm sure but not noted for its acceleration, I particularly hated any kind of incline at say 40mph, you'd have to revv the balls off it in 2nd just to make sure when you change gear it didn't start to decelerate in 3rd !

Sorry but it wouldn't pull the skin off a custard pudding and brakes aren't superb, its a fine car though, robust and enduring but the idea of persecuting someone for bad driving in one, I don't think its even possible is it lol.

Well the reverse cap brigade go for lighter 1.2 novas etc so I'm actually quite stunned they can amass any data to suggest you are acelerating or braking heavily. Just show walob it is.

Haha, totally standard. It's not the fastest car in the world, that's for sure!

Interesting read thanks - Having once been in a position where I had the choices of:-

1) Accelerate full throttle to complete passing a truck (max length artic and I was level with the drive axle)

2) Brake hard in the overtaking lane to try and lose 5 times the distance I had to make up to complete the pass.

I'm now convinced that these things are dangerous in and of themselves.

ermm sound like yout on a dual carriageway? why did you need to get back in the first lane. was you failing to read your road signs telling you that your junction was coming up ? poot driving from my assumption. overtaking without adequate space :S

if your driving like a **& why have a black box ???

tracker boxes. .if your lucky will have 3 wires.

earth.

permanent live

switched live to show ignition is on

if you disconnect the permenant live it will show as being disconnected so will land you jn the **** straight away.

if you get a stand alone car batery and connect the live powrr and earth powrr to the box youcan then lift out ajd place in the garage or shed. then once every few days put the box in your boot . connect switched live too and tale ot for a run so that it's not looking dodgy

but doing this will probably end you getting caught and land you in deep deep trouble so ido not advise or condone it lol

Buy a signal blocker?

I, surprised that some Whitehall bod hasn't actually realised that so,w of the chief 'offenders' are company car drivers, who don't give much thought to how they drive as it's not their car, and they don't pay for insurance.

I'd have thought that it would have been better to mandate that all company cars have them fitted, and penalise the Audi A4 / bmw 3 series drivers who speed and drive like they own the road.

That way the rest of us who have to pay for insurance ourselves could potentially see a drop in premiums (as if...!)

Thought I'd throw this in to see what other people think.....

I, surprised that some Whitehall bod hasn't actually realised that so,w of the chief 'offenders' are company car drivers, who don't give much thought to how they drive as it's not their car, and they don't pay for insurance.

I'd have thought that it would have been better to mandate that all company cars have them fitted, and penalise the Audi A4 / bmw 3 series drivers who speed and drive like they own the road.

That way the rest of us who have to pay for insurance ourselves could potentially see a drop in premiums (as if...!)

Thought I'd throw this in to see what other people think.....

Never met us van drivers then?

Just shows how ridiculous it is that they can give you poor marks for acceleration on a MPI !!

 

Im so glad im classed as a old fart (over 40) so my insurance for the octy is £180. We have boxes in our cars & vans at work that record every thing,there is a traffic light unit on the dash,if it goes to red it records it & every month sends a report back to our MT dept,if you have been a naughty boy (in its opinion) then your in front of the boss for a *******ing! 

Im so glad im classed as a old fart (over 40) so my insurance for the octy is £180. We have boxes in our cars & vans at work that record every thing,there is a traffic light unit on the dash,if it goes to red it records it & every month sends a report back to our MT dept,if you have been a naughty boy (in its opinion) then your in front of the boss for a *******ing!

Ours don't hence why they all get redlined and driven absolutely flat out

£1700 later, no tracker and i am insured with a reputable insurer.