Press release -
Allianz partners with Lightfoot to support Elite Driver Championship
Allianz Commercial has announced its sponsorship of Lightfoot’s driver engagement initiative, the Elite Driver Championship, to encourage safer and more sustainable driving amongst the UK’s motor fleet drivers.
Lightfoot, which provides technology that rewards drivers for safer driving, first launched the initiative in 2019. The campaign provides prize draws ranging from £1,000 to £7,000 that Lightfoot Elite drivers can win through its driver app.
From May onwards, the Championship will give drivers who consistently achieve the Lightfoot Elite Driver standard the chance to win £1,000 every month, if they maintain an average score at or above 85%. They will also be eligible for a Championship Christmas cash prize of £7,000.
Today Lightfoot has announced that Tom Curtis (pictured) of DeterTech in Telford won £4,000 in the very first draw.
Commenting on the new championship, Gerry Ross, head of commercial motor at Allianz, said: “We want to encourage and reward the UK’s motor fleet drivers for safer and more sustainable driving, so we are really proud to partner with to Lightfoot on this exciting new initiative. This campaign aligns with our belief that incentivising positive behaviours is the most effective way to engage and improve overall levels of driving. This partnership will enhance fleet risk management by promoting more efficient driving and making road safety a top priority for drivers.”
Lightfoot’s in-cab device engages with drivers in real-time, delivering ‘in-the-moment’ nudges that modify driving styles for the better, aided by audible end-of-journey scores. This guides drivers towards their weekly goal of achieving Elite Driver status, which unlocks access to weekly prizes, The Driver’s Lottery, and the Elite Driver Championship.
Paul Hollick, Managing Director of Lightfoot, added: “Adopting a driver-focused rewards-based approach has been a game changer for fleets using our tech. Now, drivers are leading improvement, not because they are being told to, but because they want to. In many cases driver engagement has reached 80%+. That’s helped fleets realise average fuel and emissions savings of up to 15%, EV range extension of up to 15%, as well as reductions in at-fault accidents by up to 40%, wear and tear costs by 45%, and vehicle idling by 24%.
“Now, thanks to Allianz’s sponsorship, we have game-changing sums of money on offer that can be won in the Elite Driver Championship. We believe this will lift driver engagement to all-time highs, week-in and week-out, helping to streamline the process of fleet management.
“That’s important because drivers who actively engage with Lightfoot through the app are at least 10% better drivers than those that don’t, which means that fleet managers only need to focus on the few drivers that consistently fail to hit KPIs. In terms of fuel savings, emissions reductions, driver safety, and lower accident levels that’s huge, bringing immediate and lasting benefits to fleets, their drivers, and the environment.”
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Notes to Editors:
1. An image of Gerry Ross, Allianz head of Commercial motor, is available to download below.
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About Allianz Holdings plc
Allianz Holdings plc is the non-regulated holding company which owns the principal insurance operations of Allianz SE in Great Britain including Allianz Insurance
About Allianz
The Allianz Group is one of the world's leading insurers and asset managers with 126 million* private and corporate customers in more than 70 countries. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance. Allianz is one of the world’s largest investors, managing around 716 billion euros** on behalf of its insurance customers. Furthermore, our asset managers PIMCO and Allianz Global Investors manage nearly 1.8 trillion euros** of third-party assets. Thanks to our systematic integration of ecological and social criteria in our business processes and investment decisions, we are among the leaders in the insurance industry in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. In 2021, over 155,000 employees achieved total revenues of 148.5 billion euros and an operating profit of 13.4 billion euros for the group.
These assessments are, as always, subject to the disclaimer provided below.
*Including non-consolidated entities with Allianz customers.
** As of June 30, 2022
About Lightfoot:
Lightfoot is an award-winning, government-supported technology that is helping to make roads safer, the environment cleaner and business vehicles less expensive to run.
Its revolutionary technology has become the fleet management solution of choice for many of the UK’s largest fleets, including Tesco, Asda, Virgin Media, and South West Water.
Backed by Volpi Capital, Lightfoot rewards better drivers with a platform that monetises good driving.
A ‘Fitbit for cars and vans’, Lightfoot is pioneering a new standard for measuring efficient driving. Lightfoot’s technology has been developed in partnership with leading driver-behavior experts at Bath University. Using advanced, real-time engine analytics that measure different factors such as load and road gradients, it provides live, in-cab coaching to help drivers improve efficiency and safety.
Tests at Bath University’s Institute of Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems proved a direct correlation between Lightfoot’s in-cab visual alerts and reductions in NOx. Studies showed when drivers halve the number of lights on Lightfoot’s in-cab dashboard device, a fivefold reduction in NOx is achieved.
Lightfoot’s industry-leading solution combines instant in-cab coaching via the dashboard mounted device with its driver rewards platform to deliver substantial, sustainable results. The dashboard display device uses live engine data to provide drivers with real-time visual and audible feedback, allowing them to manage their own performance and build better driving habits.
Alongside the in-cab device, Lightfoot also provides a dedicated Drivers App. Here, drivers can view their performance data, keep track of their driving score, and compete in league tables with other drivers. When they reach Lightfoot’s ‘Elite Driver’ standard (scoring 85% or higher) they gain access to a range of exclusive competitions, including The Drivers’ Lottery, where they can win up to £100 each week, and a host of prize giveaways, such as consumer tech. Together, this helps to incentivise better driving, ensuring long-lasting results.
Lightfoot has two core components:
- A small device that communicates directly with the vehicle’s engine and provides the driver with visual and verbal feedback to stay within the engine’s ‘sweet spot’ (optimum efficiency).
- An exciting rewards platform enabling drivers to benefit personally from better driving (whether at work or at home) through competitions, prizes, discounts and other incentives.
The benefits of Lightfoot:
- A rapid and measurable improvement in driving styles
- Improved welfare and safety of drivers
- Changes sustained over time because of ongoing cab engagement
- Minimal management input required – Lightfoot gives results, not lots of data
- Fuel and emissions savings of 15-20% (validated by Professor Chris Brace of Bath University)
- In EVs, a more uniform Lightfoot-enabled driving style contributes to range increases of up to 15%.
- Accident reductions of up to 40% (validated by Allianz Insurance Plc)
- Tracking, driver ID, business v private mileage is all available and easy to use
- Reduced wear and tear on vehicles (downtime reduced by 45% - Ian Thorn, CEF)
- Lightfoot regularly achieves driver engagement levels in excess of 60%, which compares favourably with conventional telematics that struggle to achieve engagement levels higher than 5%.
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This document includes forward-looking statements, such as prospects or expectations, that are based on management's current views and assumptions and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results, performance figures, or events may differ significantly from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. Deviations may arise due to changes in factors including, but not limited to, the following: (i) the general economic and competitive situation in the Allianz Group's core business and core markets, (ii) the performance of financial markets (in particular market volatility, liquidity, and credit events), (iii) the frequency and severity of insured loss events, including those resulting from natural catastrophes, and the development of loss expenses, (iv) mortality and morbidity levels and trends, (v) persistency levels, (vi) particularly in the banking business, the extent of credit defaults, (vii) interest rate levels, (viii) currency exchange rates, most notably the EUR/USD exchange rate, (ix) changes in laws and regulations, including tax regulations, (x) the impact of acquisitions including and related integration issues and reorganization measures, and (xi) the general competitive conditions that, in each individual case, apply at a local, regional, national, and/or global level. Many of these changes can be exacerbated by terrorist activities.
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