Untapped opportunity for providers, with almost three quarters of drivers yet to install telematics systems on vehicles used for work.

The ‘Big Brother’ image of telematics is over according to research from, Masternaut, which found that 68 percent of drivers are comfortable with telematics being installed in their vehicles. This shift in consumer attitudes follows the increasing use of telematics for corporate and personal use, with privacy issues and ‘Big Brother’ style monitoring no longer presenting a barrier to entry for installation. Despite being comfortable with telematics, 72 percent of respondents said that neither their work nor personal vehicles were fitted with a telematics device. Just 17 percent of respondents said their work vehicles were tracked, while only 11 percent said the personal vehicles they use for work are tracked. The remaining 32 percent of business drivers surveyed said they would not be comfortable with the idea of having telematics installed in their vehicles. Top reasons for not having telematics in their vehicles are concerns around privacy (51 percent), not understanding how the data is used (14 percent) and not understanding the benefits of such a system (18 percent).

Martin Hiscox, CEO and chairman of Masternaut, commented: “In the past, UK drivers have shown a measured response to vehicle tracking technologies, which is now largely over both from a consumer and business perspective. But we mustn’t be apathetic – the concept of telematics being purely a vehicle tracking technology is outdated and we need to continue talking more about the safety and efficiency benefits instead. “As an industry, we cannot ignore the feedback from some drivers about data privacy. 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.” The survey was conducted by Atomik Research, commissioned by Masternaut. Data is based on responses from 2,032 employees in the UK that drive as part of their job.