BlaBlaCar launches a coach for safer driving

PARIS: BlaBlaCar is launching a new car insurance offer, the French carpooling company has announced.

Drivers who sign up to the coverage plan will be able to benefit from a dedicated application that analyses their driving habits and behavior during trips, in order to provide advice on safer driving.

This insurance offer was designed in response to driver needs, the company states. Drivers subscribing to "BlaBlaCar Assurance par L'olivier" will have access to an exclusive application - a sort of driving coach that will accompany them throughout their various journeys.

BlaBlaCar Coach, developed by the Swiss Re group, can be activated at the beginning of each trip. It will then analyse driving behaviours during each journey, as well as good and bad habits, before providing personalised advice and recommendations for safer driving.

But carpooling itself could already have a direct impact on road safety, according to BlaBlaCar. In 2015, a study showed that 80% of BlaBlaCar members were more scrupulous in respecting traffic regulations when driving with passengers in their car.

The insurance is available to all drivers in France, whether or not they use the BlaBlaCar carpooling service.