Telematics apps and black boxes have long been known as a way of encouraging young drivers to learn better driving habits while also helping to drive down the cost of premiums.

At Direct Line Group we work with award-winning The Floow, a UK-based data analytics company who provide a telematics solution for all of our brands and motor partners. The telematics-based solution uses predictive algorithms and provides drivers a score after each journey which based on their driving behaviours. The customers can view their scores on an app or webportal and a score is generated to indicate the risk across a number of components including contextual speed, time of day, smooth driving, road risk and more recently distraction.

However, it’s not always guaranteed that drivers regularly check their scores. To overcome this challenge, our telematics team asked Dr Lisa Dorn, Chief Education Office at the Floow to create an innovative behavioural intervention for young drivers that would encourage engagement, help improve their scores and ultimately result in safer driving habits.

FloowCoach is a 12-week, four call phone-based programme for drivers who score in the bottom decile. The course encourages drivers to engage with a fully trained behaviour expert coach who helps develop an action plan that includes specific goals, all mutually agreed on.

The course is theory-based and draws on a number of philosophies and models including Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), Social Cognitive Theory and the transtheoretical model. It uses Behavioural Change Techniques ("BCTs") that are known to underpin behaviour change across hundreds of studies. FloowCoach also allows time for behaviour change to take place, provides reinforcement to support that change and develops relapse prevention strategies.

The FloowCoach programme aims to improve driving behaviours by:

• Maximising the ability to regulate the drivers own behaviour by developing relevant skills (e.g. organisational skills, goal setting, score monitoring).
• Coaching drivers to develop specific plans to change behaviour.
• Strengthen motivation to engage in the desired behaviour.
• Using techniques to develop a change of perspective about risk.
• Developing appropriate beliefs about the benefits of changing and others’ approval of their behaviour.
• Developing positive feelings about changing.
• Reducing motivation to continue with the unsafe behaviour.
• Supporting self-regulation by coaching on cues for current and desired behaviour.

This innovation is proving quite unique and the latest research conducted in December 2019 shows that young drivers who did participate in the programme made overall 12.5% fewer claims. The analysis also showed that FloowCoach graduates tend to continue to improve incrementally after the programme and rarely revert to previous score levels. This suggests that longer term behavioural changes using telematics in conjunction with Behavioural Change Techniques and telephone-based coaching can be achieved.

FloowCoach won a Gold at the FirstCar Road Safety Awards 2020

To find more about Telematics solutions click here for Direct Line DrivePlus Blackbox or for Churchill's Drivesure or Privilege DriveXpert.