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.
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Hide AdIt 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.