My partner has just started driving, and her insurance company have fitted a "Black Box" to her car.
My understanding of these devices is somewhat vague, as some sites suggest that they only collect information about the car if it is involved in an accident, whereas other sites seems to suggest that they are wholly obtrusive in that they collect information on where you've been, how fast you got there, how much of a boy racer you became on the journey, and the Body Mass Index of each passenger you took. (okay maybe omitting that last one, it was just for the sake of over-exaggerating how obtrusive they "might be").
Now since this is my partner's car, and therefore her policy, she tends to drive at the speed limit (religiously), although at times (such as overtaking), she may break this slightly, where necessary. Also as a new driver, her gear changes, braking and acceleration are still a little rusty and will do well with a little refinement.
As my car is currently in the shop, undergoing maintenance, I'm currently driving her car. I, unlike her, do not always stick to the speed limit, so for example if I'm in a 30 zone, my speedometer will generally state 35-40...lets be honest, where I live, I'd say about 20% of the driving population actually stick to limits. Also as I've been driving for 6 years, my gear changes, acceleration, braking and handling are much smoother than that of my partner.
With that in mind, consider the following questions:
- Can the EDR/Black Box detect a difference in driving style / different driver over a given period?
- What does the EDR/Black Box really record?