Insurance provider, Aviva, is carrying out trials with a view to launching an iPhone app which will link to a telematics system to monitor the behaviour of drivers on the road. In line with other smartbox car insurance systems, the new app would link up with a black box on the policyholder’s dashboard which will collect data on the way the car is being driven. The rising cost of car insurance for young drivers in particular, is something which has been well publicised. Insurance experts predict that these new types of car insurance policies, which utilise telematics technology and calculate the cost of a premium based on the driving habits of the individual, is an effective way for new and young drivers to fight back against the spiralling cost of insurance. Research has suggested that as many as two thirds of young drivers could see a reduction in the cost of their annual insurance premium of up to 22% as a result of installing a black box system in their car for a full year. Car insurer, Aviva, is currently experimenting with a new smartphone application which would collect data transmitted from the black box installed in the car. The telematics system would gather information which will be used to calculate the cost of the driver’s premium including the time of day the car is being driven and the number of miles covered. Practices such as braking suddenly and cornering would have a negative impact on the cost of the driver’s premium. However one potential downfall of the new system, which Aviva are concerned about, is that the driver would need to have the phone with the app in the car at all times order for the new system to be fit for purpose.