The case in summary: Safedrive, one of the largest players in Norway that offers notifications in the car about everything from speed controls to hit animals, will abolish its fine guarantee in early 2024. UP has been strongly opposed to notification of their manual controls and fine guarantee, as they believe it undermines road safety efforts. Safedrive has around 100,000 users and a turnover of NOK 156 million in 2020. Safedrive spends around NOK 2 million a year on paying people’s fines, but does not believe that the end of the fine guarantee will scare away subscribers. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Being stopped by the emergency police during a speed check can quickly become an expensive affair. But some drivers have more control over the speed controls than others. They get that through companies that offer notifications in the car, about everything from speed checks to hit animals on the road. One of the companies will even pay the fine for you – if they have not notified you of the check before you are stopped. Replaces “penalty guarantee” The company SafeDrive, which is one of the largest players in Norway, has offered its customers a so-called “penalty guarantee”. But now the scheme is coming to an end. This is revealed in a report on traffic in Norway from the Emergency Police. The general manager of SafeDrive, Magnus Wester, confirms to news that the information in the UP report is correct. – We ourselves booked a meeting with UP to show our plans going forward, among other things we have informed UP that there will be changes to the penalty guarantee – to the benefit of our customers. Magnus Wester is general manager of SafeDrive, formerly known as GPS Radar. Photo: SafeDrive AS Wester states that the reason they are now removing the scheme is that very few people use it. Instead, he promises that there will be another scheme that will reward safe driving, without elaborating. He says the decision is entirely the company’s own, and they have not been in “negotiations” or experienced pressure from UP against the scheme. Strong opposition from UP – now they are cheering UP chief Knut Smedsrud tells news that the meeting took place and that UP has received approval from SafeDrive. He is clear that it is something UP appreciates. – We are strongly opposed to our manual checks being notified, and to a penalty guarantee being given, says the UP boss. Knut Smedsrud is chief of the emergency police. Photo: Bård Nafstad / news – We believe that it undermines traffic safety work. If they take away the penalty guarantee, then that is welcome from our side, he says further. On the company’s website, they still promise to pay the fines to customers if the UP inspection is not notified. Findings in the emergency police investigation High speed was a contributing factor in 29% of fatal accidents. In 20% of the fatal accidents, the influence of drugs was a contributing factor to the accident occurring. Possible distraction due to the use of a mobile phone has been pointed out in five fatal accidents. Fatigue is considered to have been a contributing factor in 14 accidents. 28% of the 64 people who died in cars, lorries and buses did not use seat belts or used them incorrectly. According to UP’s analysis of the fatal accidents, risk-taking behavior was the main cause of 14 fatal accidents with 16 deaths. People in the age group 55+ accounted for 42% of those killed and seriously injured. The 18-year-olds were most frequently involved in serious traffic accidents. Source: Emergency police Driver error common cause of accidents SafeDrive has around 100,000 users, the company itself states. In 2020, the company’s turnover was NOK 156 million. For a measly NOK 2,000 – and a monthly subscription of NOK 200 – you get a small screen that attaches to the car. Here you can both notify, and be notified of, incidents in traffic. It includes both obstacles and animals in the roadway and controls. UP, for its part, questions whether such services contribute to higher speed levels and an increase in the number of accidents. This is what the small screen that you attach to the car looks like. Here you can report both animals, control or obstacles in the roadway. Photo: Ole-Christian Olsen / news They fear that, in the worst case, it will lead to them not being able to stop drunk drivers or other risky drivers. The UP chief points out that most serious accidents along the roads occur as a result of driver error. – Drunk driving, excessive speed and inattention are the three things that are often behind it, he says. Spends NOK 2 million a year Former transport minister Ketil Solvik-Olsen is chairman of SafeDrive. He took office as chairman in November, and tells news that he did not participate in the meeting SafeDrive had with the Emergency Police. Ketil Solvik-Olsen is chairman of SafeDrive AS. Photo: Kristian Skårdalsmo / news Solvik-Olsen suggests that SafeDrive spends around NOK 2 million a year on paying people’s fines and other things. He does not believe that the demise of the penalty guarantee will scare away subscribers. – The fine guarantee was probably the driver for our first users to subscribe to SafeDrive’s services. He continues: – But the surveys we have had recently show that most users are with us not because we have a penalty guarantee, but because we have all the notifications, especially against animals and other things. With 100,000 users, you get a lot of information, says Solvik-Olsen.
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SafeDrive removes the penalty guarantee – UP likes it – news Nordland
