Extra discount for a car camera? Yes, but not sooner than in 2-3 years

You can also see that the market is gradually opening up to new technologies. Driving style monitoring solutions are available in exchange for less expensive insurance. Recordings from on-board cameras could play a similar role. They are already useful in resolving many disputes today. Therefore, tracking the behavior of drivers is in the best interest of the companies themselves, which often fall victim to fraudsters.

The question is, would customers be able to give up their privacy by receiving additional bonuses. Insurers also need to convince them not to try to take advantage of the situation to take their liability for damages.

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When will it be cheaper?

Nearly 8 years ago, one of the insurance companies in the United States proposed a 25-30% reduction in policy prices. In order to take advantage of the offer, it was necessary to voluntarily install a Snapshot device, also known as MyDrive. For 30 days, it collected information about the driver's driving style. If the program participant was positively assessed, he received a permanent discount. Today, there are many more such solutions in the world. Recently, a small substitute for this is also available in Poland.

- Insurers want to promote a safe driving style, but they will never offer a discount on the installation of a camera. Video recorders are not the same as telemetry solutions. They allow you to assess how a given person rides, i.e. whether, for example, he performs abruptly maneuvers. There are already products on the market that provide more attractive premiums for civil liability in exchange for the possibility of transferring this type of data.

This, however, has nothing to do with image recording. In my opinion, telemetry will continue to develop. And this may be a chance for young people who pay higher premiums - says Marcin Tarczyński, spokesman for the Polish Chamber of Insurance.

In turn, Przemysław Pepla from the insurance comparison website mfind.pl notes that the insurance market is increasingly open to new technologies. In his opinion, along with the growing popularity of driving recorders, additional discounts for their installation can be expected. This seems quite realistic in the next 2-3 years. The discount would most likely be a percentage and would not exceed 3-5%. This would be a strong incentive to take advantage of such an offer.

- So far, we do not have any information from insurance companies about bonuses for the installation of cameras. By contrast, some insurers in France and Germany use some kind of tachometer on passenger cars. They allow you to control the way you drive, including safety. Meanwhile, the camera meets only some of these requirements, it can record, for example, speed and behavior on the road, and at the same time is cheaper - says Marcin Kapiński, general director of the Association of Polish Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers.

On the other hand, Rafał Grodzicki, head of the Department of Training and Road Safety of the Warsaw WORD, gives the example of Russia. There, buying an AC policy requires recording from inside the vehicle. However, this does not apply to the basic insurance option, but to extensive packages.

Dodatkowa zniżka za kamerę w samochodzie? Tak, ale nie szybciej, niż za 2-3 lata

Need a change

- The insurance contract is regulated by the Civil Code. It is subject to certain limitations, however, the parties have the possibility to shape its provisions. There are no legal restrictions regarding the installation of cameras in Poland. The use of possible recordings in the course of the claim adjustment process or proceedings related to the committed offense conducted by the Police also does not raise any legal objections. However, one problematic issue is the independent publication of such materials, e.g. on the Internet. But this is a completely different topic - informs attorney Bartosz Swół from JP Legal.

In addition, Przemysław Pepla points to the quality of recordings from video recorders available in our country. Until recently, many of them left a lot to be desired. In practice, this made it impossible to use the video material to resolve disputes. Today the situation looks much better. The expert emphasizes that the courts and the police are eager to reach for images recorded by on-board devices. According to the expert, insurers should also use this solution on a larger scale. In this way, they could attract more customers with their offer.

- I consider the idea with cameras worth promoting. For us, anything that leads to cost reduction is very beneficial. We act on behalf of the client and we are looking for the most attractive solution for him. Video recorders discipline drivers in some way. The assembly discount would be especially effective in the case of fleet insurance. Employers could save money, and at the same time would gain a tool to eliminate excessively risky road behavior, emphasizes Marcin Kapiński.

Meanwhile, the rally driver and the owner of the driving school, Michał Kościuszko, points out that insurers should guarantee additional discounts for various activities that improve safety behind the wheel. This applies, inter alia, to training in the technique of moving on the roads, but also installing a camera. Its presence in the car initially depresses the driver. He then limits his negative reactions. He tries to do everything as described in the guides. With time, however, he forgets about the presence of a recording device and begins to better comply with the rules of road traffic.

- Many people already use on-board cameras. Possible addition of discounts to this would only increase openness to this type of solutions. On the other hand, it is already a form of surveillance, and therefore Poles, as a rebellious nation, may have a delicate problem. As long as drivers use cameras for their own safety, nothing happens. However, if the recordings are made available to someone outside, there may be reluctance to use such measures - emphasizes Michał Kwasek from the management board of ANG Spółdzielnia.

Mutual benefit

An expert from the Polish Chamber of Insurance states that the video recorder may of course be useful in the event of a car crash or accident. Sometimes, handing over the recording helps or dispels doubts, e.g. as to liability for damage. This allows you to complete the formalities faster, because you can almost immediately see what happened. However, not every time the recorded image decides the matter, because there are also situations in which not everything has been captured.

- The installation of cameras gives both parties, ie the insurer and the customer, a greater likelihood of objectivity in assessing a given loss. The question is whether the societies would not try to use such recordings to take responsibility off themselves. Today, drivers are trying to use video materials to protect their interests. Insurers can do the same. Their line of defense, however, does not have to coincide with the arguments or the interests of the insured - explains Michał Kwasek.

In addition, Bartosz Swół refers to data obtained from representatives of a company that deals with the pursuit of claims from insurers. For several years, an increase in the importance of video recordings from cameras installed in vehicles in claims handling processes has been visible. The provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure allow for the admission of evidence from film, television, photocopying, photographs, plans, drawings as well as sound plates or tapes and other devices recording or transmitting images or sounds. It is also possible in the course of activities based on the Code of Criminal Procedure. If the law enforcement authorities would ask for video documentation related to the case, the insurer will be obliged to provide all materials in its possession.

- There are cases of fraud and extortion, and cameras can severely limit them. There are people who on purpose, at the minimum speed of the vehicle, run under it, simulating a run-over. It is very difficult to assess by the Police, because when confronted with a car, a pedestrian is always privileged. The driver, on the other hand, should exercise extreme caution when approaching the lanes. Thanks to the recordings from video recorders, you can deprive the fraudster of arguments and show what actually happened and who was at fault. And then the possible compensation issues are quite clear and indisputable, both for the company and its client - explains Michał Kościuszko.

Giving discounts for the installation of cameras would have its advantages, but also disadvantages for each party. The report of the mfind.pl comparison engine shows that in January 2018 the average liability price was over PLN 1,000. It is about PLN 350 more than 2 years ago. With dash cams, drivers would pay less for insurance, but lose their sense of privacy in the car. They would probably also have to take into account additional expenses for the device itself. On the other hand, societies would obtain materials to limit fraud. However, this would mean the need to introduce cheaper policies. As you can see, it is not going to happen yet.

- The insurance rates are quite high compared to the financial capacity of the average Pole. Thus, any innovation that saves money will be perceived positively by drivers. The problem should not be privacy. Today, many electronic and IT devices collect data to a similar extent. The company that will be the first to offer discounts for installing a video recorder will attract many new customers and gain image. The price is a key factor for many people when choosing a policy - summarizes the general director of SPBUiR.

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