Smooth-driving thief scores black box hit

Owner’s telematics box reports higher score after being recovered from a theft

A young driver has seen the score on his car’s telematics box improved by a smooth-driving criminal.

Alex Cooper, 17, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, had his Vauxhall Corsa stolen in broad daylight from outside his workplace. However, using his black box’s GPS software, police tracked down the car three hours later – and found it with only a smashed window.

The i-car unit was then studied by insurer Carrot, which found the thief had scored a perfect 10 for his joyride – much higher than Alex’s own commute earlier in the day, which rated at only seven.

The unit measures speed, acceleration and driving smoothness, and returns a rating for each journey. This was the first time a 10 had been recorded on Alex’s box.

Carrot confirmed that Alex will now be allowed to keep the top score on his record, which will contribute to his overall rewards for the year. Alex said: “My heart sank when I discovered that the car had been stolen; I didn’t know what to do. It was an instant relief when I found out that the Carrot i-box had picked up the vehicle’s location – it was like a huge weight had been lifted from my mind.”