With political turmoil in Africa and Latin America, war in the Middle East and striking workers in the North Sea, Britain's motorists are now paying hand over fist to stay on the roads.

It is not just the rising cost of petrol, however, that drivers need to be wary of, but the soaring cost of car insurance as large financial corporations look to offset some of the losses they have been forced to endure as a result of freakishly-bad weather and a global credit crunch.

Never before, therefore, has it been so important for consumers to shop around and look for the best car insurance deal rather than simply renew their current policy once it runs out.

According to the latest research into the market carried out by Money Expert, average car insurance premiums have risen by six per cent over the last year alone to £682.

While the fact that 9.6 million drivers have looked into switching policies is encouraging, the study also concluded that a further ten per cent rise in prices over the remainder of 2008 is likely.

Insurance companies have consistently cited rising costs as a reason behind their putting prices up and argue that there are steps drivers can take to make themselves less at risk of an accident and therefore able to benefit from lower premiums.

Indeed, many firms are keen to point out that they like to reward good driving and, as such, news that the Association of British Insurers (ABI) feels that the industry will soon begin to adopt technology which allows them to monitor a customer's drivers, could well come as good news for those who can get around the 'Big Brother' surveillance issues and look to save a few pounds each month.

Commenting on the potential rollout of the 'black box' technology, Malcolm Tarling, a spokesperson for ABI, explained: "It enables your insurance to be on a pay as you drive basis. It records your mileage and, importantly, where you're driving. It's a method of effectively ensuring your premium reflects risk."

Such a device would, for now at least, be entirely voluntary on the part of the driver and the ABI has stressed that any recordings would only be used as one means of determining how much a customer will have to pay, with all the usual considerations also taken into consideration.

As Mr Tarling concluded: "Insurers will certainly use advances in technology, and the goal that they are always trying to achieve is to ensure that the price that they charge for insurance reflects the actual risk."