Wigan motorists get safety boost from road app

The Floow, an innovative new piece of software, uses telematics to improve road safety and driver behaviour via a smart phone sensor, to understand better what incentives people would need to help make them better drivers.

Related: Borough roads are regional accident hotspotsDrivers involved in the exercise would get the info and driver scores to improve their driving and be more aware of road safety, as well as giving them the ability to shop around for cheaper insurance when their scores are in.

It rates drivers for every journey across a number of key areas including speed, smooth driving and time of day, to provide unique insights which will help drivers understand their behaviour behind the wheel in more detail.

And the developers say it could be of huge benefit to motorists in Wigan, particularly on roads they identified as dangerous, including: Wigan Road between Bolton Road and Doyle Road, a stretch of the M6 between J27 to Crow Orchard Road, and Manchester Road in Astley.

The Floow was founded in 2012 by Aldo Monteforte, CEO of the company, along with Dr Sam Chapman and Paul Ridgway, who are CIO and CTO respectively.

The idea was first conceived by Aldo who wanted to make vehicles safer, smarter and cheaper for all. He saw the opportunity to change the telematics industry by making use of data and social sciences in ways that could change driver behaviour and lower the risks on the road.

The software also allows insurers to price policies more fairly and accurately, based on data of driving behaviour.

And the invitation for borough drivers to trial the new system is a timely one, following a recent study which found that the borough has some of the most dangerous roads in the North West.

A “crash map” put together by insurance provider Ageas revealed several accident hotspots across Wigan and Leigh, and the data showed that almost 1,800 people were killed on Britain’s roads last year.

The survey was based on the amount of road traffic collisions reported on each road, with safety levels rated on a colour scale between green and black - with black being the most dangerous.

And several borough roads were ranked “red,” the second most dangerous category.

Roads included: Warrington Road, Ince; Wigan Road, Golborne; Wigan Road, Abram; King Street, Leigh; Chapel Street, Leigh; St Helens Road, Leigh; Warrington Road, Leigh;

Manchester Road, Astley and Spinning Jenny Way, Leigh.

There were also several Wigan road which fit into the middle bands, including Ormskirk Road, Up Holland, Main Street in Billinge and Bolton Road, Ashton.

To find out more and to request a demo, visit thefloow.com