That’s smart! App that can PROVE you weren’t speeding
JAMIE Don hopes to save money using a gadget that monitors his driving habits – and rewards him with handsome insurance discounts for careful driving.
Information such as his speed and the way he takes corners is collected by a plug-in gadget and fed back to an app on the 52year-old’s smartphone.
The sales consultant received the matchbox-sized device as part of his membership of Smartdriverclub, a new £6.60-amonth service for motorists, after he paid the £25 joining fee. It is plugged into a socket underneath the steering column.
Most of the time Jamie’s monitor is in his 2014 Vauxhall Insignia, but he takes it with him on holiday to fit in rental cars.
Jamie, who lives with his wife Rachel, 49, in Southampton and has a 20-year-old daughter, says: ‘If a car hire firm ever tries to charge us extra by claiming I was speeding, I can prove I wasn’t.’
He also likes the fact that the ‘Smartplug’ can locate a stolen car – having spent hundreds of pounds on standalone tracking devices in the past.
Another advantage for Jamie, who uses his car for work, is that he can easily separate fuel costs for business and leisure trips. He explains: ‘I can set specific times when I want to calculate fuel use. This makes claiming work-related expenses quicker and easier.’
The detailed driving history the app provides can help customers improve fuel efficiency too and reveal problems to a mechanic, such as the battery going flat.
Members of the club are eligible for discounts on services and new tyres.