Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I heard an anecdote, I do not know if it is true, that when a person died in a motor accident for the first time ever, the coroner's report said that this must not be allowed to happen ever again because it is something that is absolutely preventable. The cost of insurance working group is looking at the cost of insurance and it prioritised motor in the first instance. It is not for want of being able to control all the other aspects around motor driving, but it just does not come under the remit. If we look at telematics there is a particular action point in the report.

The industry is putting together a piece of work on how we can use telematics to mean safer driving and more information, detail and data; to prevent fatalities; and to get a better understanding of claims. Last year, I spoke at a conference on the future of insurance which examined where telematics might be going. It was suggested that in a future of driverless cars and people having Fitbit indicators on their arms, when two vehicles collide it will be possible to know precisely what speed they were going, what the thread count on their tyres was, whose heart rate was going faster and whose pupils were dilated. Computers will be able to make decisions on claims and liability on the basis of such information. The huge changes that are going to happen in many industries, including the automotive industry, will have an effect on insurance and other aspects of this matter. If that means fewer accidents and fewer people being impacted on the roads, it will benefit everyone. There is a strong case for the introduction of speed cameras on motorways, as has been done in the Dublin Port tunnel, to make sure people are not driving too fast. I do not think An Garda Síochána will ever have the resources to watch every piece of road at every point in the day. Changes can be made in that regard. By the end of this year, we will have a comprehensive report from the insurance industry on telematics and the issue that has been raised by the Senator.