ICMIF member Unipol (Italy) has celebrated the achievement of 4 million black boxes installed on vehicles and integrated with the Motor Vehicle TPL policy: a result that testifies to Unipol’s leadership not only in Italy, where the company holds approximately a 50% market share of telematics insurance, but also at European level.

More and more motorists are convinced users of the UnipolSai black boxes, which add high value-added services to the possibility of obtaining a discount on the Auto and Theft and Fire policy. UnipolSai is the insurance company of the Unipol Group, and is the largest Italian non-life and motor insurer.

In the event of an accident, the black box can record the date and time of the event, GPS position, and vehicle speed, which is especially useful in case of disputes either during judicial proceedings or if fines are not due. The device can also be helpful in case of a serious accident, as it will automatically send an alert to the Support Centre through its Crash Alert Service. Lastly, in case the vehicle is stolen, it will facilitate its retrieval.

Technology is increasingly fostering an evolutionary process in completing the range of functions and providing ease of use of the black box. The latest innovation is Real Time adjustment, a process that allows the insured to receive a proposal from the adjuster within 24 hours of the claim, on condition that there were no casualties.

Real Time has been operational in Campania since June and was extended to Lazio in July with the goal of becoming operational throughout Italy by the end of 2019. In the month of June alone, about 600 claims were handled in Campania with Real Time, which requires the UnipolSai agent to make a call to the insured as soon as the black box records a crash, without waiting for the customer to report the accident.

The Unipol Group has been the pioneer of black boxes in Italy ever since it first used Unibox in 2004, the first black box on a motor vehicle and one of the first examples of the development of telematics in the insurance sector. Now 15 years later, it has firmly maintained the market leadership for this kind of devices and continues to invest in innovation.

This aptitude has for example given rise to the latest generation of voice-activated devices, which enable hands-free communication directly with the UnipolSai Operations Centre and give users the possibility of enjoying hi-tech services directly from one’s mobile phone through the UnipolSai App, including long after the accident. Among the services that can be activated:

• Telematic Bodyguard: ideal for a female target group, during journeys in unsafe areas it lets you keep in touch via smartphone with an operator of the UnipolSai Service Centre, who is ready to call 118 (emergency number) or the police in case of need;
• Target Area and Speed Limit: these allow you to set geographic areas and speed limits and to be alerted via text message if they are exceeded;
• Ignition Alert and Movement Alert: these allow you to receive a real time alert, via text message, in case of ignition or vehicle movement, respectively;
• Car Finder: this allows you to easily track the position of your parked car via text message.

In the first half of 2019, there were 16,023 tow truck trips for roadside rescue, while about 1,000 itineraries were verified for the purpose of certifying that the vehicle’s position was not the one described in the police report.

This service is increasingly appreciated by customers, as testified by the approximately 100,000 black boxes installed, on average, every month.