UK drivers give telematics the green light, says research22 October 2014

More than two-thirds of drivers are comfortable with telematics being installed in their vehicles, although almost three-quarters of those who drive company or private vehicles for work do not have such devices fitted.

That's among key findings of research among 2,000 UK drivers, carried out by Atomik Research on behalf of telematics provider Masternaut.

Only 17% of respondents said their work vehicles were tracked, and 11% said the personal vehicles they use for work are tracked.

Almost a third of business drivers remain uncomfortable with the idea of telematics, citing concerns of privacy (51%), not understanding how the data is used (14%) and not understanding the benefits of such a system (18%).

Martin Hiscox, CEO and chairman of Masternaut, has welcomed the results, saying the 'big brother' worries of the past are now over, but warns against complacency.

"The concept of telematics being purely a vehicle tracking technology is outdated and we need to continue talking more about the safety and efficiency benefits," he insists.

"As an industry, we cannot ignore the feedback from some drivers about data privacy," he continues.

"At Masternaut we've addressed this head on with our new Masternaut Connect platform, which holds data in a secure, anonymised format.

"We've also worked closely with unions and workers councils across Europe and taken the feedback on board to create a system that addresses driver and business requirements."

Author
Laura Cork

Related Companies
Masternaut Ltd

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