According to Agris Daukste, the current system evaluates drivers mainly based on past accidents, but hardly takes their behavior on the road into account. ## ## Cautious drivers and speeders pay almost the same Daukste notes that today insurance companies have information about insurance cases, but do not see the full picture of a motorist's behavior. If a driver regularly exceeds the speed limit, maneuvers aggressively, or systematically violates rules, but does not become the cause of an accident, they may still appear to the insurer as a "reliable" client. As a result, a situation arises where careful drivers effectively partially pay for the risks of those who drive significantly more dangerously. "Why does a bank assess a client's payment discipline, while in auto insurance we often pretend that the risk level is the same for everyone?" the expert questions. ## ## In Europe, driving style is increasingly being assessed In Daukste's opinion, the global insurance market is gradually changing. The history of accidents is becoming less significant compared to the daily behavior of the driver behind the wheel. This concerns telematics technologies that can analyze: - compliance with speed limits; - intensity of accelerations and braking; - sharp maneuvers; - overall driving style. Based on this data, insurance companies can significantly more accurately assess the likelihood of accidents and offer individual policy costs. Such an approach is already being used in many European countries. Italy is considered one of the leaders, where millions of insurance policies are calculated using data from so-called "black boxes" installed in cars. The safer the driving style, the cheaper the insurance. ## ## Latvia is also exploring this possibility LTAB reported that they are already analyzing various options for implementing such solutions and are negotiating with state and private partners. According to Daukste, the development of artificial intelligence in the coming years could make the processing of telematics data significantly easier and cheaper. In the future, this will allow the use of "smart" data in calculating the cost of OCTA policies in Latvia. At the same time, he emphasizes that the transmission of information about driving style should remain voluntary and transparent. ## ## Those who drive more safely should pay less According to the LTAB representative, insurance should reflect real risks as accurately as possible. "If a person can prove that they drive carefully and safely, why shouldn’t they pay less?" Daukste believes. He is convinced that a fair system should encourage responsible behavior on the road, rather than setting approximately the same insurance cost for drivers with completely different habits behind the wheel. According to him, the more accurately the risk is assessed, the fairer the policy price becomes and the safer the roads are.