Mobility 2.0 : Data are critical (and potentially lucrative)

"Creating Markets for Connected Vehicle Data," the latest industry forum was conducted by the Center for Automotive Research (CAR), a non-profit research organization dedicated to conducting research on significant issues related to the future direction of the global automotive industry.

Based on budget per household evolution which present clear reduction for new motor vehicle and transfer toward communication and television services, connected vehicle can support several applications, potentially lucrative :

 

"These are easy, first steps that deliver clear, tangible benefits to vehicle owners and makes them comfortable in entrusting the insurance industry with their data," said Ferrick, senior vice president and general manager at Cross Country Automotive Services. Its company manages data and voice calls with drivers associated with nearly 6 million roadside events annually. "In just about every roadside incident, consumers want help at the scene, want to contact their loved ones and, in significant accidents, want to notify their insurance carrier."

Ferrick noted that almost every accident scene tow in the U.S. and Canada today is handled by local law enforcement authorities, driving up costs for insurers and policyholders with multiple towing events and the storage of damaged vehicles by vendors whose prices, response times and customer service levels may fall short of insurance carrier benchmarks.

Through automatic collision notification triggered by air bag deployment and other in-vehicle crash sensors, a connected vehicle services provider such as ATX Group, a business unit of Cross Country, learns of accidents and sometimes their severity before notifying emergency responders. With vehicle owner's permission, ATX could also notify auto insurance carriers to enable a faster removal of the vehicle from the accident scene and a faster claims handling process.

"From the insurance carriers' perspective, the quicker they can process the claim, the quicker their policy holder gets the car back in the driveway," Ferrick said. "Accelerating the process directly translates into higher customer satisfaction with the carrier, reduced costs for towing and repair, and less risk of the claim resulting in disputes and higher claim costs."

 
Cross Country's roadside services unit provides accident scene management, vehicle release management and total loss screening services to more than 30 North American insurance carriers, providing coverage to approximately 40 million vehicles. Cross Country also operates one of the largest networks of independent roadside assistance and towing service providers with more than 20,000 suppliers across the U.S. and Canada serving more 76 million motorists.