- UNIQA Austria is updating the SafeLine tariff for vehicle telematics and making Austria’s roads safer
- Not using a mobile phone when driving can save up to 50 per cent on annual net premiums for vehicle third-party liability
- The SafeLine app offer additional services such as a logbook and a car finder
With the new SafeLine vehicle tariff, UNIQA customers can save up to 50 per cent on liability insurance if they abstain from using their mobile phone when driving. UNIQA is one of the trailblazers in the field of telematics. Additional services include emergency aid in accidents and emergencies, a logbook and the opportunity to locate your car.
UNIQA’s new third-party liability vehicle tariff is a world first: for the first time, customers can directly influence how much they pay in insurance premiums by not using a mobile phone when behind the wheel. And it makes sense: distraction by using mobile phones when behind the wheel is the cause of over 30 per cent of all accidents, where the majority of them are attributed to the use of smartphones. Andreas Kößl, a member of the UNIQA Austria Management Board says: “People who don’t use mobiles when driving can make considerable savings on premiums. The reward is flexible, the fewer times you call, the higher the savings. They range from 1 to 50 per cent.”
The technology builds on the SafeLine tariff that was started 10 years ago and will now be thoroughly extended. All safety functions have been kept, such as automatic reporting of accidents, an emergency button in the car and in the UNIQA SafeLine app, as well as the option to locate the vehicle if it has been stolen. The extremely precise measurement technology is new. This can record non-use of mobile phones so exactly that premium calculations can be based on it.
Telematics box in the vehicle
The core of SafeLine is a telematics box that is easily and quickly installed in the car. The small device does not require any interaction with the vehicle’s electronics because it is equipped with its own GPS, telephone module and a crash sensor. The emergency button is connected via Bluetooth.
How non-use of mobile phones is measured
UNIQA customers use the SafeLine app on their phone to prove that the mobile phone has not been used. This is available free of charge from the respective app stores for Apple and Android devices. After a journey, both the SafeLine box and the app send the details to the SafeLine server, which compares the pure driving time with non-use of the mobile phone. Once you have abstained from your mobile phone for more than 50 per cent of the driving time, the savings begin to take effect – for every per cent of non-use there is an equal per cent saving.
For customer control, the details of every journey are displayed in the SafeLine app. The app provides information on how long the mobile has not been in use during the journey. With the “myCar” function, the location of your own car is shown and “myLogbook” provides a view into the logbook. The application also provides an emergency button so that you can call for help quickly and independently of the emergency button in the car – for example, in the event of a leisure accident.
Drive safely and earn goodies
With the SafeLine tariff, being safe on the roads pays out double. When UNIQA customers avoid using mobile phones behind the wheel, they collect points for goodies. A network of cooperation partners provides free products and services as a reward for safe driving. For example, coffee or a selected drink at OMV service stations or you can use the points collected for a good cause: operations that give blind people their sight back are financed by the organisation “Licht für die Welt” (Light for the World).
Telematics as the way to the future
For 10 years, UNIQA has been the top supplier of telematics in the German-speaking region. Over this time, more than 7,000 people were given assistance in accidents and emergencies and also stolen vehicles with a total value of € 8 million were secured. “Our goal is to support our customers in their daily transport,” says Kößl. “With crash sensors and emergency buttons, we are there for our customers at the moment when they need us urgently. Above all, we work intensively on helping our customers to avoid accidents. A credit for premiums when not using mobile phones is just the first step.”
UNIQA Austria
6,000 UNIQA Austria employees serve 3.5 million customers with around 9.9 million insurance policies. The company’s service focus and customer proximity are underscored by its nine regional headquarters and more than 400 service centres. UNIQA Austria achieved a market share of approximately 21 per cent in 2016, making it the biggest of more than 50 insurers operating in Austria. According to independent studies, UNIQA has been the best-known and most trusted insurance brand in Austria for several years.