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Young motorists tracked by car spying technology will get cash bonuses for safe driving, in a study that could revolutionise insurance pricing.
Mark Stevenson, professor of urban transport and public health at the University of Melbourne's School of Design, will lead research to explore whether regular feedback on driving habits and financial incentives improves behaviour behind the wheel.
The four-year, $530,000 study will monitor 200 Victorian drivers aged 18-25. They already have telematics devices fitted in their cars through the QBE-owned Insurance Box policy.
The "black box" device collects and transmits satnav data such as speed, travel distance and time of day, heavy braking and collisions.
Some participants will get constant reports on performance compared with others of the same age via a smartphone app. Others will be financially rewarded with about $160 for repeated safe driving, such as obeying speed limits.
"Young drivers comprise 13 per cent of the population, yet they account for 22 per cent of driver deaths in Australia," Prof Stevenson said.
Prof Stevenson said young drivers were traditionally penalised with high premiums because of their age, rather than charged according to individual driving patterns.
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