We know car insurance for young drivers can be expensive, that's why Hoot car insurance is here to find you the cheapest quote possible.
Now, the reason young drivers pay so heavily for their motor cover is because young motorists have more car accidents than more experienced drivers. But the technology is out there to help you avoid a crash and we've found some of the most innovative anti-crash systems for you to consider. Most are in development, so we have given you an idea of when they might hit the streets.
Speed spotter
Siemens VDO are developing a system where a camera mounted behind the rear-view mirror watches the road ahead. It will then warn the driver if they are breaking speeding laws or ignoring warning signs. On the road? Hoped to be functional in 2009 for speed recognition, and after 2010 for warning signs.
"ITS" a talking car
The American car safety specialists at Delphi believe that an "Intelligent Transport System" (ITS) where cars talk to each other via a national inter-car network are on the horizon. Electronic brake lights in cars will detect hard braking and instantly transmit warnings to following cars. Vehicles effectively become traffic sensors, able to give localised warnings about traffic conditions and dangers. Delphi believe that the foundations for such networks are there, but cost is likely to be the prohibiting factor. On the road? Some road experts say 20 years, others say never. Delphi views the ITS as part of a far reaching progress project to achieve universal automated highways.
Sat-speed
The technology used in sat-navs could easily combine with your car's electronic engine-management system to create a device that would limit your car to the maximum legal speed limit for the road you are on. It would prevent points on your licence, save fuel and possible bring your young driver car insurance down a notch. On the road? It could be made right now, but manufacturers seem to be reluctant. OK, so there may be the chance of getting stuck behind cars doing the speed limit, but surely the safety implications and money saving aspects should make this one a winner.
Black box driving
Motor insurance schemes involving in-car telemetry systems that monitor when and how you drive are already available. However, the American Safety Center has pioneered a system that is on trial in the cars of 50 Staffordshire teenage drivers. The county council is piloting the scheme that enables the monitoring of dangerous driving via a database.
In-car, a dashboard mounted display, with green, yellow and red alert lights, assesses risky moves such as sharp braking and speeding. It warns the driver, but also stores the information for use by whoever has access to the database. The phone company T-Mobile has tested it in its fleet and says in 12 months it has saved £417,000 in crash repairs and 3% fuel costs. On the road? The nanny state protesters are already whingeing, but, as for the T-mobile employees, a function is available to hide individual identity. As a personal tool it could be a boon.
The car that drives itself
No, you won't be able to have a nap on the way to work; it only takes over the driving when a crash appears inevitable. However, high-tech collision-avoidance systems are already available in some cars. Volvo have adopted a system active up to 20mph that uses laser radar fitted in the windscreen to detect the movement of the vehicle ahead, or on a head-on crash course. If collision is about to occur it cuts throttle and applies brakes. On the road? Volvo's XC60 will have the Volvo City Safety system fitted as standard, and is on sale from November 2008, but this system is only effective at low speeds, possibly only fully able to prevent a crash at under 10mph.
Hoot car insurance for young drivers is unlikely to crash your wallet
We do our absolute best to get you the best deal possible on your insurance. We believe you should save as much money as possible and even if these gadgets may make future car insurance buying cheaper, right now we can offer you the fastest, safest, cheapest online way of finding car insurance for young drivers.
Click the get a quote button and fill in your vehicle and driver details. Our system will offer you cheap quote based on 6,000 Base Miles of cover. Alternatively, call our car insurance helpline and our friendly advisors will help you to get the motor insurance deal you've been searching for.
Car insurance for young people doesn't need to be a hassle, give us a try today and see how much you can save with Hoot.