Telematics evidence ‘overwhelming’ in court
Telematics proved decisive in a liability trial at Wandsworth County Court recently, when its data came to the rescue of a policyholder accused of causing a collision.
A third party claimed the defendant, who is insured by Insure the Box, was responsible for an accident when he emerged at speed from a narrow side road, with a burst tyre, at approximately 10.45pm. While the policyholder admitted there was a collision, he alleged it occurred in a different place, at an earlier time and as a result of the third party encroaching into his lane.
However, detailed analysis of the black box data presented to the court by an expert from Insure the Box, backed up the defendant’s version of events and that of an eye witness. The judge described this telematics evidence as ‘overwhelming’ and as a result the third party’s claim was dismissed and Insure The Box did not have to pay out the £22,250.00 it had allocated should the claim have been successful.
Adrian Steele, group claims director for Insure The Box, said, ‘Traditionally, in the absence of other evidence, liability cases simply come down to the strength of witness statements and the performance of the witnesses at trial. This case underlines the veracity of telematics data to provide impartial evidence of the facts.
‘We were delighted that we were able to use the very extensive skills and expertise in our team to go beyond the norm to protect our policyholder from what the judge believed was a wholly unsubstantiated claim. I do not believe that many insurers in the market would have been able to go this far and we are delighted with the result.’
