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This kind of thing is already being marketed to parents, who can buy so-called black boxes to rein in bad driving by teenagers.

ICBC suspects the $200 devices will prompt other drivers to be more careful as well.

It says it wants to use the pilot project to study the effect – and to get up to speed in the use of the technology that’s increasingly being used in the auto insurance field.

One private insurer in Ontario already offers motorists a break on insurance costs if they agree to have a black box installed in their vehicle.

Those who sign up get a five per cent discount on their premiums automatically, and it rises as high as 25 per cent depending on how safely the black box shows they drive and how far and often they drive.

Does the black box test project here in B.C. mean drivers can eventually expect a similar system of charging insurance rates based directly on electronically monitored driving records?

Not any time soon, ICBC says.

While any such scenario may be a long way away, it’s clearly a real possibility with all kinds of potential uses.

The devices would make it easy to measure how far a car travels and the times of day it’s typically on the road.

It would become a simple matter to move closer to a pay-as-you-drive insurance model by offering deeply discounted premiums to motorists who don’t drive far or often.

Or to implement a congestion charging or road pricing system in the Lower Mainland.

There are plenty of peripheral concerns – from unauthorized access to driving data that legally is the driver’s property to the increased use of such data in crash or crime investigations.

But the central goal – using a technological watchdog to encourage safer driving and discourage reckless road behaviour – deserves careful consideration.

ICBC says such a system, if it takes shape, would be voluntary.

Even so, if opting out means paying significantly more money for auto insurance it may have the effect of forcing most drivers to sign up.

Right now, many motorists who have a long claims-free history and enjoy ICBC’s deepest premium discount aren’t actually stellar drivers.

Some have had collisions, but have paid out of pocket to protect their discounts.

Others have managed to avoid mishaps, but their dangerous driving has caused other crashes in their wake.

Black boxes hold out the promise of making them pay accordingly for their risky driving.

Perhaps it’s just a coincidence, but the number of volunteer drivers ICBC plans to start with – 400 – is the same as the number of British Columbians who die every year in car crashes.

It is the leading cause of death in people under the age of 40.

If installing vehicle data recorders can help reduce that carnage, it’s a difficult idea to reject.

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