A new research project is exploring whether a safety rating system for car insurance could help young drivers and their parents identify policies that actively support safer driving.
The Young Driver Insurance Safety Framework project brings together road safety researchers, insurance specialists and communications experts to investigate how insurance products could help reduce collisions involving young drivers and better protect them, their passengers and other road users.
Funded through Transport Scotland’s Road Safety Framework Fund, the feasibility study is being led by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS), working alongside Confused.com, Agilysis, Defaqto and Angelica Solutions, as well as researchers Dr Neale Kinnear and Dr Elizabeth Box, and road safety communications specialist Rebecca Morris.
The project will investigate whether a common safety rating approach could help young drivers and families look beyond price when choosing motor insurance, making it easier to identify products with evidence-based features designed to encourage safer driving.
In Great Britain in 2025, 269 people were killed and 4,466 seriously injured in collisions involving car drivers aged 17-24. Young drivers’ increased collision risk and the resulting cost of claims are key reasons why their insurance premiums are often significantly higher.
The research will focus particularly on telematics, commonly known as ‘black box’ insurance. It will examine the driving behaviours monitored by different products, how feedback and incentives are delivered, and the quality of evidence linking these features to improved road safety.
The findings will inform the development of a safety assessment framework and a prototype consumer-facing rating system, which will be tested with young drivers, parents and industry stakeholders.
Jamie Hassall, executive director of PACTS, said: “The strength of this project is the expertise coming together. Road safety researchers, behavioural scientists, insurance and consumer specialists each bring a different perspective. Working together allows us to connect robust evidence with how insurance policies are designed, used and chosen by families.
“Price understandably matters to young drivers and their families, but it can be harder to judge how effectively a policy supports safer driving. We want to test whether a safety rating could make that support easier to recognise and compare, helping families make informed choices and encouraging improvements across the market.
“Insurance companies recognise the risk of young drivers and are keen to play their part in a safe system to help reduce the risks young drivers face and help them develop as safe and competent drivers.”
Young drivers and parents in Scotland will be invited to take part in surveys and focus groups to explore how they choose and use insurance, their understanding of telematics and how they respond to safety information.
Insurers, brokers and comparison platforms will also contribute, helping establish the evidence requirements and the commercial and technical feasibility of an assessment framework.
The research will also draw on behavioural science, recognising that young people gain driving experience while areas of the brain responsible for planning, decision-making and self-control continue to develop.
Dr Neale Kinnear, of Affective Mobility and the project’s technical lead, said: “Telematics insurance can play a significant role in managing young driver risk, but the design and delivery of a product is critical to its effectiveness for improving safety.
“Consumers need a way to quickly assess differences between products, but any information or rating system needs a credible foundation.
“We will develop the assessment criteria and test whether the resulting information is understandable and useful to consumers, practical for industry and capable of influencing choices. We will also examine its limitations and possible unintended consequences.”
The feasibility study will run until August 2027, with its findings informing recommendations on whether and how a young driver insurance safety rating system could be introduced more widely.
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