Insurance is all about risk. The price you pay for your car insurance premium is determined, to a large degree, by a statistical calculation of the likelihood that you will be involved in an accident.
But the statistics are valid for a category of drivers as a whole – within that category will be a wide variation in the individual risk of a particular driver having a prang.
Now Cranfield University has developed a range of Psychometric tests (you might have done one of these at school with your careers adviser – mine said I should be an actuary!) based on 20 years of research into driver behaviour. These tests will provide drivers with an individual “risk profile” that tells you how likely you are to have an accident.
But more importantly they will give you advice on how to control any risky behaviours you have and reduce your chances of being involved in an RTA.
Some of the biggest risk factors that the team have identified, and test for include:
- Dislike of Driving – reluctant drivers make unconfident drivers.
- Poor hazard monitoring skills.
- Aggression.
- Thrill Seeking.
- Proneness to fatigue.
They have also analysed 5 strategies used for coping with the demands of driving and found out which ones work best.
You can take the test yourself (it costs £20) and find out how to reduce your risk of a collision by visiting www.drivermetrics.co.uk.
And who knows, in a few years time, perhaps your insurance company will ask you to take one before deciding your premium.