Black box that’s designed for a crash course

Blacktrack, based in Colburn in North Yorkshire, created the device with Axa in order to deter risky driving, particularly among the young. The battery-powered device will typically have enough power for five years and will record enough information for accidents to be reconstructed.

Ian Armstrong, from Blacktrack, said the new technology acts as a crash recorder and a phone, so it automatically calls the insurance company within one minute of an accident to provide basic details of what has happened. A full report of the crash is then downloaded to the insurer’s website within ten minutes, which helps to detect exaggerated or fraudulent claims.

It also has a sensor to detect the seriousness of the accident and will call the emergency services when help is needed.

Mr Armstrong, a physicist, said: “It will take the rest of the year to get it into production. We have done a good demonstration with prototype hardware and there has been quite a lot of interest.”

The device was developed with the Swiss-based Winterthur arm of insurance giant Axa. It will be sold to insurance companies and also on the high street, where it will sell for £100 to £120.

Blacktrack, privately owned and which has four staff, turns over £600,000 and has kept manufacturing in Bradford.