TECH DRIVES DOWN BAD HABITS BEHIND THE WHEEL

App Cuts Dangerous Driving Incidents by 20%

An award winning app developed by a Northern Ireland firm is helping users significantly improve their driving habits.

Developed by Autoline Insurance, the ChilliDrive app turns a smart phone into an-car mentor, accurately measuring drivers’ speed, acceleration, braking and cornering whilst tracking journeys.  After six months, users reduced their number of dangerous driving incidents by an average of 20% and cut the average value of claims made by 50%.

The data relates to drivers aged 17-21 and was revealed as part of ‘Respect the Road’, a ChilliDrive road safety initiative which recently brought a car crash simulator to Freshers’ Weeks at Queen’s University and Belfast Met.

Suzanne Curtis from Autoline Insurance, said:

“As a local insurance broker, we’re passionate about working with young people to make our roads safer.

“The ‘Respect the Road’ campaign is part of a wider effort to create better driving habits and help raise awareness of the consequences of dangerous driving – particularly the devastating impact of using a mobile phone at the wheel.

“We are especially proud of our ChilliDrive app which is having a positive impact on users, helping them identify areas for improvement and significantly reducing their incidences of dangerous driving.”

The ‘Respect the Road’ programme has been running for five years and includes a road safety workshop, a car crash simulator and the chance to hear from a former PSNI Family Liaison Officer about her experience of dealing with road traffic incidents. The Freshers’ Week events at Queen’s and Belfast Met, which were open to 17,000 students, were the largest attended by the simulator to date.

Declan Crummey, Student Liaison Officer at Belfast Met said:

“With an increasing number of students owning cars and travelling to and from campus, road safety is a major issue.  Letting students experience Autoline’s car crash simulator while providing practical advice on how to improve driving habits has certainly helped people reassess their attitudes behind the wheel.”

Despite the high profile attention which road safety messages receive, 68 people died on Northern Ireland’s roads in 2016.  Almost 30% of those killed were under 25-years old.

The car crash simulator is a specially equipped Ford Focus ST that includes in-car screens, speakers, smoke machines and bespoke hydraulics to recreate a real life fatal crash incident that led to a 17-year old driver being sentenced to prison.

ChilliDrive uses telematics technology to monitor the driving habits of its users and grade drivers on a scale of 1-5 for each recorded trip. The app creates a profile of each user and rewards safer drives with improved rates and a significant discount on their premium.

For further information about how your college or school can participate in the ‘Respect the Road’ programme please contact Evanna Kieran at Autoline Insurance Group on 028 3025 9011.