Direct Line Group saves young drivers over £50 million in motor premiums

• Direct Line Group and The Floow celebrate 2 billion miles
• Five-year partnership has saved young drivers over £50 million in car insurance premiums
• Telematics data from The Floow delivers insight to improve driver behaviour and enables reduction in premiums

Direct Line Group is celebrating recording 2 billion driver miles with The Floow, a technology business which delivers data analytics and insights for telematics devices. The partnership, now in its fifth year, has been the driving force behind better behaviour on the road and has saved young drivers more than £50 million¹ since it first launched.

The Floow, based in Sheffield, uses both data science and social science expertise to develop solutions that enable smarter and safer mobility for drivers. By collecting data every second of a journey, various factors such as where and when the journey takes place and how the driver behaves behind the wheel is analysed. This gives Direct Line Group a better understanding of the risk each driver represents, and can therefore enable them to provide fairer and more accurate premiums to their customers.

Drivers using telematics also get a good overview of their driving style as they receive a score for each journey which is based the many factors including speed and how smooth they were driving at the time. Drivers who demonstrate consistently good scores over time can benefit from lower premiums while drivers with the worst scores can take part in a coaching programme to help improve their driving skills. Through a series of phone conversations, this programme helps drivers to focus on specific ways to improve their overall score and to drive more safely. The Floow’s latest research shows that for every 100 graduates from the lowest-scoring decile, driver coaching helps scores to increase by around ²30%.

Annette Fox, Head of Telematics at Direct Line Group said: “Working with The Floow has proved to be fantastic and we are delighted to have reached such a monumental milestone of scoring two billion miles. At Direct Line Group, we embrace partnerships like these as it gives us an opportunity to work with new, innovative and forward-thinking businesses.

“We know that through data we will have a much better understanding of risk which will not only enable us to offer better premiums to young drivers, but we can help educate, inform and improve road safety overall. It is Direct Line Group’s ambition to be a leading telematics insurance provider and we are confident that working with The Floow, we can help drive change that will see telematics fully integrated within the UK motor market”.

Telematics technology is used across many of Direct Line Groups brands including Churchill, Direct Line and Privilege.

Chief Innovation Officer and Co-Founder at The Floow Dr Sam Chapman, commented: “We collect data every second of every day and have made huge strides in understanding and improving driver behaviour through the power of telematics. These insights are making a tangible impact on driver safety, encouraging safer driving which is preventing accidents.

“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved by working with Direct Line Group; their reach has enabled us to bring telematics benefits to a wide audience across the UK. The partnership means there are more people using telematics who want to be better drivers and who could benefit from lower premiums and a safer environment on the roads”.

The Floow’s insights into driving behaviour also help to inform transport policy and regulation, road planning to counter congestion and projects that will dictate the future of driver safety and mobility.

For more information about telematics and The Floow visit: www.thefloow.com

ENDS

Notes to editor

¹ Direct Line Group premium data calculated from June 2013 – Nov 2018

² Floow Coach Qualitative Analysis Results Participation Jan-Sept 2018

For more information please contact:

Jade Trimbee

Senior Manager

Direct Line Group

Tel: 01372 839 452

Mobile: 07825 315 931

 Email: jade.trimbee@directlinegroup.co.uk

Direct Line Insurance Group plc

Direct Line Group is headquartered in Bromley. Through its number of well known brands the Group offers a wide range of general insurance products to consumers. These brands include Direct Line, Churchill and Privilege. The Group also provides insurance services for third parties through its partnerships division, Direct Line Group Partnerships. In the commercial sector, the Group's NIG and Direct Line for Business operations offer insurance products for businesses distributed through brokers or direct, respectively.