Motorcycle telematics...

Be Very Afraid

John Newman

• JohnNewman
• technology
• politics

Telematics. Now there's a word you don't hear every day. Unless possibly you're a dedicated follower of electronic gadgetry, or you're one of the people who developed it.
So what is it then? Telematics is the word description given to a device used by some insurance companies to monitor driving behaviour, car use, routes and destinations, time and distance travelled. It is not unlike the 'black box' which monitors aircraft movement.

The past few years have been characterised by the exposure of the amount of data and information that is collected, legally and illegally, about us as consumers and service users, and about the industrial scale data collection that is undertaken by national agencies such as the police and security agencies; ably assisted by the massive 'listening' organisations such as GCHQ and the National Security Agency in the US.
Basically all these actions are an invasion of our privacy as individuals; but some people are relaxed about it because that is the culture they have grown up with. Many are apathetic. While others - the famous examples being Edward Snowden and Julian Assange - go to great lengths and personal risk to bring to light practises they consider to be antithetic to democracy and open governance.
Telematics has been around since the nineties. It's a spin off from GPS technology, and is used by insurance companies primarily in the USA and Canada, but increasingly in the UK and Europe – in Italy it's been available since 2006. You can volunteer to have a small electronic box installed in your vehicle to monitor every aspect of your driving. It's termed 'usage based insurance' (UBI): the insurance company collects the data on your speed, acceleration, braking, manoeuvring, time on the road and destinations. If you're a good boy or girl you will pay less; those considered miscreants will presumably have to cough up enhanced premiums.
Most companies are coy about how much might be saved. But imagine if you like to hang out late in the 'wrong part of town' and on the way home in the early hours you are deemed to be zipping away from traffic lights too quickly, and perhaps stray over the speed limit. You could be in for a premium hike.


At the moment Telematics is only installed and used with the consent of the driver. Young drivers in particular are persuaded to have their driving behaviour monitored on the grounds that they are  deemed to be a high risk category for the insurance companies. But it is predicted that before long all new vehicles will be manufactured with this device already in the car; and what would be the response of an insurance company if you refused to use it or had it taken out?
So much for cars and some of the issues. Is Telematics suitable for monitoring motorcycle riding, and if so are there any examples of this entering our lives? Unfortunately the answer is yes and yes.   
We are all aware that what is adopted in the USA will soon cross the Atlantic to be introduced into the UK; and not all good stuff either.
A Californian company (where else?) called Baseline Telematics has linked with a Canadian insurance company in Saskatchewan to launch a pilot system for use with motorcycles. They are of course using the well worn 'saving lives' argument, which in turn raises the question many of us pose about individual choice regarding risk and the fact that many crashes involving bikes are due to the carelessness, inattention, and outright poor or dangerous driving on the part of car and truck drivers.

The partner companies are in the process of recruiting volunteer motorcyclists to help them determine if UBI (usage based insurance) monitored via Telematics can be viable. There are all kinds of assurances written into the description of the pilots intention, presumably to allay fears as to the 'big brother' aspect. But even if you accept the premise of these; all kinds of interpretation difficulties arise.
For example when stating what information will be collected on motorcycle riding, the website states... 'The device provides information such as GPS location, speed of the vehicle and forces on the vehicle so that things like braking, acceleration, cornering and collisions can be detected'.

Breaking the speed limit is relatively straightforward. But who would be the arbiter of appropriate braking and acceleration? If you are a regular commuter in heavy traffic you would certainly be more prone to heavier and more frequent braking and acceleration, and also sharper manoeuvring than other riders. Does this mean you would be considered a higher risk and your premium loaded accordingly?
Similarly with cornering. Would insurance companies employ experienced motorcyclists to examine this aspect? Or would there be some bureaucratic 'average lean angle' allowance? A couple of other interesting questions are put forward and answered in relation to the pilot: How does SGI (the insurance company) know what is considered to be a hard brake or sudden acceleration for motorcycles? We don't.
SGI will take an educated guess at the start of the pilot, however this will be re-evaluated as the pilot progresses.
Will the device record that someone is speeding as soon as they go one kilometre over the speed limit?
Yes. The speed limits on various roads are input into the data base. However the parameters regarding what is deemed unsafe have not yet been set. SGI will be gathering data during the pilot to determine what is safe and unsafe driving behaviour. If and when SGI begins a programme, common sense and discretion will be used to determine what level of speed is deemed unsafe and may result in a higher premium.
If ever I saw a sentence loaded with interpretation and holes through which half dozen Triumph Rocket Threes could be driven, lined up side by side, then that would be it.
If you want to look at all the criteria for volunteers signing up for this exercise and read the complete list of questions and answers go to www.sgipilot.ca Equally, put 'telematics motorcycles' into your search; where you will find other information likely to lead to a riding future that is so bland and risk averse that using a powered lawn mower will seem exciting.
In the words of the immortal Joni Mitchell...

'don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got till it's gone'

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John Newman
for Wemoto News
Does anyone out there have any experience of or any thoughts on this?
If so email us at [email protected]