Looking to rewrite the way telematics is used in auto insurance, Allstate has filed a new patent application for proprietary technology.
Titled “Vehicle telematics based driving assessment,” Allstate’s patent looks to “address and overcome the technical problems associated with driving assessment systems.” It said that insurers are interested in telematics “because they would like to evaluate the risk associated with customers and potential customers,” adding that other organizations “may be interested in such information to determine a person’s behavior,” and that even “parents or other guardians might be interested in monitoring a vehicle carrying their children or other dependents.”
The patent describes a system that is comprised of a computing device to send data from the vehicle's sensors, as well as a second device to receive those signals in order to generate a “behavior score” for drivers. As reported by Repairer Driven News, data such as vehicle ignition, vehicle location, time of day/week, quantity of braking events, and miles driven will be collected by the system.
Notably, Allstate said in its patent that telematics systems currently in use might not enable data to be evaluated in real time. The insurer also noted that some telematics systems may not even work when the vehicle is moving. This, Allstate argued, could make it “difficult for people and organizations to take action in response to the telematics data in a timely manner.”
“As more vehicle telematics data becomes available, it becomes more difficult to strike a balance between providing too much information and too little information,” the insurer said in its patent filing, explaining that reporting too little information may lead recipients to ignore the data, whole reporting too much might “cause false alarms or unnecessary concerns.”
Because of this, Allstate said that “new systems, devices, methodologies and the like” are required to collect driving data.
“As part of our multi-year Transformative Growth strategy, Allstate is always developing affordable, simple and connected products that can empower our customers,” a statement by Allstate to Repairer Driven News read. “This includes our telematics solutions, such as Drivewise and Milewise, which allow customers to share their driving information and deliver personalized feedback that gives them more control over their auto insurance costs and encourages safe driving.”
Read more: Allstate files patent application for "insurance VR simulator"
News of Allstate’s patent for telematics technology comes after the insurer on May filed another patent for an “insurance VR simulator.” The VR technology, as explained by the patent’s inventors, could be used to simulate crashes to help calculate liability estimates, observe drivers’ behaviors, and even train insurance adjusters.
