A telematics-based motor insurer has claimed a first after data from a ‘black box’ recorder was successfully used in a defence at a collision liability trial.

Insure the Box Limited said the technology’s use at Wandsworth County Court was a trailblazer for the insurance industry.

The firm says the strength of its data proved the policyholder’s case in contrast to the third party’s version of events, allowing it to defend the claim.

‘Traditionally, in the absence of other evidence, liability cases simply come down to the strength of witness statements and the performance of the witnesses at trial,’ said Adrian Steele (pictured), group claims director for Insure The Box. ‘This case underlines the veracity of telematics data to provide impartial evidence of the facts.’

In the course of the trial, which concerned a collision involving an Insure the Box customer, deputy district judge MacKenzie heard differing accounts from both parties.

Data from the black box installed in the customer’s car provided the evidence to challenge the claimant’s evidence. An employee of the insurer appeared in court to explain the data and be cross-examined.

The judge considered both versions of events as well as the telematics data, ruling that the telematics evidence was ‘overwhelming’. She dismissed the third party’s version of events as ‘implausible, inconsistent and dangerous’.

The box contains a GPS position indicator, a motion sensor and a SIM card. It records the time the vehicle is driven, speed on different roads, whether drivers brake or accelerate sharply and total mileage.