Airport valet parker is caught joyriding... by car’s ‘black box’
A HOLIDAYMAKER handed over his new car to an airport valet parking firm – only to return and find a reckless employee had been joyriding in it.
Sean Hopkins would never have found out what the worker at Stansted Airport had been up to were it not for a ‘black box’ recording system in his Peugeot 106.
The device, fitted by his insurer, issued him with a warning about his ‘risky driving’ – including heavy accelerating and braking – after he returned from his holiday to Spain.
After realising what the Empark employee had been doing Mr Hopkins complained and received an apology and refund.
The 32-year-old said: ‘It is disgusting. It makes you wonder just how many other cars they must have been ragging around.’
The accounts assistant dropped off his car at the airport in Essex on March 18 before flying to Malaga.
There was no sign it had been driven without his permission when he got back – until he spotted the alert from insurer Direct Line.
Its device uses GPS technology to record data on speed, cornering and braking. It scores journeys out of 100, with high marks given to safe drivers.
The Empark employee scored 12 for one of the three joyrides, compared to the 99 Mr Hopkins received on his trip to the terminal from his home in Braintree, Essex.
The careful driver was shocked to be sent a feedback form saying: ‘Your score shows you are braking and accelerating frequently throughout your journeys and may be reacting too late to hazards. This is a risky driving style.’
Mr Hopkins said: ‘How they got that score I don’t know, but they must have been messing around, braking harshly. It amazes me. I only knew about it because I’ve got telematics in my car but others who don’t wouldn’t know. It will make me think twice about using the [valet parking] service.’
Direct Line introduced its DrivePlus system three years ago. The ‘black box’ builds up a detailed record of how, where and when the vehicle is driven and offers feedback to the driver.
An overall score is generated for the year, which determines the renewal quote.
However, the insurer insisted that the incident would have no effect on Mr Hopkins’ premium.
A Stansted Airport spokesman confirmed that the unidentified Empark employee had been dismissed.