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Discovery Insure’s Amazing Race-style challenge brings insurance to life at ‘A Drive Like No Other’
Usually, we experience insurance when something goes wrong. At Discovery Insure’s A Drive Like No Other event, media and content creators experienced a different side to insurance: one focused on preventing risk, responding when it matters most and rewarding positive behavioural change.
The immersive, Amazing Race-style driving challenge used Johannesburg’s streets as a setting to demonstrate Discovery Insure’s approach to preventing risk, responding to emergencies and rewarding safer driving behaviour.
The link between behaviour and accident risk
The day began at Discovery’s headquarters at 1 Discovery Place in Sandton, where Discovery Insure CEO Robert Attwell opened proceedings by outlining the insurer’s purpose.
“We’re for those who protect what matters most, who know some things can never be replaced, and the best claim is the one that never happened. We’re for more than cover; we’re for safer roads in South Africa. We’re for you, like no other.”
Attwell explained that Discovery Insure’s strategy is built around three pillars: Prevent Like No Other, Respond Like No Other and Reward Like No Other.
“Our core purpose is to create a nation of safer drivers,” he said. “This is enabled by our shared-value Insurance model, which rewards clients for actively lowering their risk. This creates sustainable business through lower claims while benefiting society through safer roads and fewer accidents.”
Using telematics, behavioural science and AI, Discovery Insure helps clients improve the driving behaviours associated with many of South Africa’s road fatalities. One of its latest innovations, the Advanced Driving Instructor (ADI), analyses each driver’s unique driving signature to deliver personalised coaching and driving goals.
Attwell also highlighted Vitality Drive Sleep Points, one of Discovery Insure’s newest innovations. Drawing on 47 million nights of sleep data from more than 100,000 members and billions of kilometres of driving data, analysis by Discovery Insure found an association between lower sleep debt and lower accident risk. Drivers with less than one hour of sleep debt over three consecutive nights showed up to a 36% lower accident risk than those with five or more hours. Clients who consistently sleep well can now earn Vitality Drive Sleep Points, reinforcing the relationship between quality sleep and safer driving.
A race with a twist
Following the presentations, participants downloaded the Discovery Insure app, collected the keys to Discovery Insure’s fleet of vehicles and set off in pairs across Johannesburg.
One person drove while the other navigated using a preset route on Google Maps, collecting clues and completing missions along the way.
It quickly became clear that this was no ordinary driving challenge.
With Vitality Drive monitoring every journey, harsh braking and acceleration, speeding, aggressive cornering and phone use all affected drivers’ scores. Safe driving became a competitive advantage, with the highest-scoring participants walking away with prizes.
Prevent Like No Other
The first stop brought participants face to face with Discovery Pothole Patrol.
As repair crews demonstrated how thermal technology restores damaged road surfaces, Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) teams explained the difference between pothole repairs and larger road reinstatement projects.
Since launching in 2021, Discovery Pothole Patrol, together with the JRA and Avis Southern Africa, has repaired more than 343,000 potholes across Johannesburg while contributing to a 26% reduction in pothole-related claims among Discovery Insure clients.
Respond Like No Other
The second stop shifted the focus from prevention to emergency response.
At a fire training facility in Modderfontein, participants stood metres away from a controlled blaze before watching firefighters from Fire Force extinguish it within minutes.
As the smoke cleared, Fire Ops SA CEO and Deputy Fire Chief De Wet Engelbrecht explained how Discovery Insure’s 911 smoke detector is designed to reduce delays that can occur during household fires. When smoke is detected, the device sounds an alarm and automatically alerts Discovery Insure’s 24/7 emergency response centre, which coordinates a nationwide fire response even if it cannot reach the homeowner.
The demonstration also highlighted Impact Alert, which uses telematics to detect severe collisions and dispatch emergency assistance if clients are unable to call for help themselves.
Reward Like No Other
The final stop swapped fire hoses for tyre pumps.
On the rooftop of Tiger Wheel & Tyre’s flagship Sandton City store, teams attempted to inflate a flat tyre to exactly two bars of pressure without using a pressure gauge, discovering that the seemingly simple task was harder than expected.
While the challenge unfolded, Discovery Insure Deputy CEO Francois Theron explained how Vitality Drive rewards safer driving through benefits including fuel cash back, discounted Uber rides, and savings on tyres and vehicle servicing.
He also highlighted the Insure Funder Account, which allows eligible clients to have their Vitality Drive fuel cash back paid into the account, effectively doubling the value. The funds can then be used towards excess payments, reduced premiums through higher excess selections, or vehicle-related expenses, including up to 100% off purchases at Tiger Wheel & Tyre.
Experiencing insurance in the real world
As participants returned Discovery Insure’s vehicles to the basement at 1 Discovery Place, the day’s themes of prevention, emergency response and safer driving had been demonstrated through a series of real-world experiences.
Throughout the day, participants experienced how insurance can extend beyond financial protection, from proactive road maintenance initiatives and emergency response services to incentives designed to encourage safer driving behaviour.
Reflecting on the event, Attwell explained why bringing insurance into the real world matters. "Insurance is typically intangible; it’s based on a contract. Today people experienced Insurance Like No Other - our offerings coming to life. It’s a physical manifestation of what we do, and that’s incredibly powerful."
