Motability Drivers ‘Horrified’ By Compulsory Black-Box Trackers

Motability drivers under the age of 30 say they are “horrified” by rule changes that mean their vehicles will be fitted with compulsory black boxes.

They will monitor driving habits, such as speed and braking, and will provide a weekly rating.

More than four red ratings over 12 months could see drivers removed from the Motability scheme, which allows eligible disabled people to lease a new car using part of their benefit payments.

Critics say the UK-wide change will affect disabled people’s freedom and ability to work, but Motability says it is about “keeping prices down and keeping people safe”. It says it has removed 300 drivers since a pilot scheme began in Northern Ireland in September.

‘Disabled people need to have the choice’

Actor Keron Day, 25, who starred in the hit Netflix show Sex Education, has cerebral palsy and uses a specially adapted wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV). The car has a steering aid and indicators on the floor, as well as buttons for lights, wipers, gears and the handbrake.

Day says the car is an “amazing piece of technology”, but feels angry at having to have a black box fitted and his driving assessed when his access requirements mean he “can’t simply jump into another vehicle” or use public transport easily.

“Disabled people need to have the choice, just like everybody else,” he says.

“If I passed [my driving test] aged 17, I would have 13 years of a mandatory black box. None of my non-disabled peers would have that.

“We all have to pass the exact same driving tests that everybody else does, so it’s not a point about our safety.”

Black box car insurance has become a popular option for young drivers, who are often deemed to be more high-risk, as it offers lower insurance premiums.

Motability enables disabled people who have issues getting around to exchange their higher-rate mobility allowance for a new car. Although “premium” vehicles such as BMWs and Mercedes were removed from the scheme at the end of last year.

During last year’s Budget, the government removed its tax break on insurance and it must now cover 12% on each insurance premium. It must also now pay VAT on some vehicles meaning the scheme will need to pay out an additional £300m from 1 July.

Nigel Fletcher, chief executive of the Motability Foundation, said that would be the equivalent of a price rise of £1,100 for every driver on the scheme.

“A lot of disabled people won’t be able to afford that, so we’re now having to try and work out how can we make changes to the scheme that protects pricing as much as we possibly can,” said Fletcher.

He added that black box was about “keeping prices down and keeping people safe” and its data had also found younger drivers to be the highest risk.

He said, of the 300 drivers removed from the scheme, one had driven 117mph in a 30mph zone.

“This a serious safety issue, not just for that individual, but everyone else in that community.

“They will get lots of warnings before they get taken off the scheme. And then if they are taken off the scheme, we will need to start looking at what our policies are around allowing them back onto the scheme in the future.”

Motability has also decided that every vehicle with a named driver aged 30 or under will have the device fitted – which could include family, friends and personal assistants (PAs) who drive the vehicle.

“As a disabled person, my independence could be taken away as a result of a non-disabled person’s actions,” Day says.

“I’m experienced enough with PAs to know that not all PAs are amazing drivers. And that’s just a reality of life. I find the consequences horrifying.”

Motability will start to bring in the changes on new leases from 13 April for the first 15% of its 930,000 customer base. Then it will “review and analyse” whether to introduce it across the board.

‘There is a difference whenever I drive’

Eva Hanna, 21, has a car with hand controls and says she is happy to have a black box, but feels the amber and red reports she has received for jerky driving is a direct result of her adaptations and thinks the scheme needs to be looked at.

“The braking and acceleration can be a bit more sensitive, because obviously it’s not the same as using your feet,” she says.

“You have to pull on the brake a little, or you have to pull on the accelerator to get it going. So I’ve found that during my journey I might have braked too hard or accelerated too harshly.”

She says she has received amber ratings when commuting to Belfast for work and a red score when she had to brake sharply on a country road.

In comparison, when her parents have driven the vehicle manually, they received green scores.

“I know I’m not a dangerous driver, but there is a difference whenever I drive. I’ll always get knocked down a bit on the smoothness,” she says.

“I worry because the scheme is so great. For people to be kicked off just because of small things that aren’t their fault, it would be such a big let-down to a lot of disabled people.”

Fletcher says this was not something Motability was aware of, but it would look into and would continue to gather information over the coming months.

As well as the black box, Motability has introduced recommendations that drivers take a break every hour and aim not to do more than six journeys a day. If that is exceeded, the driver will receive a red score, but it will not impact their lease.

It has also halved the number of miles drivers can make each year before they pay an excess.

Drivers will now be able to drive 10,000 miles before paying 25p on any miles travelled over that limit. Previously, the mileage was 20,000 with an excess of 5p a mile.

Motability says its average drives clock up 7,500 miles a year and Scotland’s version of the scheme was still considering the cap.

But for Day, the recommendations are frustrating and impede his independence.

“I live in rural Cornwall, everything is an hour away,” he says.

“If I wanted to go to London, which is where the majority of my work is, and I had to stop every hour, I couldn’t get to work. It’s just madness.”

Even so, he is excited for the “freedom and access to the world” his new vehicle on the scheme will give him.

“I wouldn’t be able to go to work without mine,” he says. “I wouldn’t be able to have a social life.”

A government spokesperson said Motability was able to implement the new black box changes as it is an “independent scheme”.

They added that customers would “still be able to lease a car with just their qualifying disability benefit, and there will still be cars available through the scheme which require no advance payment”, following the changes announced in the Budget.