We’re committed to helping you drive safely and get the best possible deal on your insurance. That’s why we’re introducing a new factor in your Sense driver score called Rest.
Your Sense driver score already helps you track key driving habits like acceleration, braking, cornering, and speeding. With Rest as an additional factor, we’re giving you even more insights to help you drive safely, improve your driver score, and increase your chance of a personalised quote at renewal.
Why Rest matters
Tiredness is a major contributor to road accidents. Studies show that up to 20% of crashes are linked to driver tiredness, and crashes are 50% more likely to be fatal if someone hasn’t had any breaks. When you drive while tired, your reaction time slows, your concentration drops and your ability to make safe decisions is impacted.
Tiredness is often caused by:
- Long trips without breaks: Spending too much time behind the wheel can lead to drowsiness.
- Lack of sleep: Driving after too little rest significantly impacts your alertness.
- Driving at night or early morning: Your body’s natural sleep cycle makes it harder to stay focused during these times.
How will Rest affect your Sense driver score?
Your Sense Score will now consider Rest, alongside the other four key factors:
- Acceleration: How smoothly you accelerate.
- Braking: How gently you come to a stop.
- Cornering: How carefully you take turns.
- Speeding: How well you stay within the speed limits.
- Rest: How often you are taking breaks.
Recognising and addressing how often you are taking breaks can improve your driver score while making roads safer for yourself and others.
Tips to prevent tiredness while driving
- Take breaks every two hours: Even a short break can help keep you refreshed and alert.
- Get enough sleep: Aim for at least seven-to-eight hours of sleep before a long journey or shift.
- Avoid driving late at night: The effects of being unrested are most dangerous between midnight and 6am.
- Plan ahead: Give yourself plenty of time to reach your destination so you don’t feel the need to push through exhaustion.
- Don’t rely on caffeine alone: Coffee and energy drinks provide short-term boosts but don’t prevent tiredness.
What’s next?
We’ll be rolling out this update in the coming weeks! Once it’s live, you’ll see how Rest influences your Sense driver score in the app. Don’t worry, your driver score will still reflect an average of your recent trips, so it won’t be affected by one or two incidents. It’s all about how well you drive over time!