What We’re Reading

August 24, 2022

• Tesla says Autopilot preventing ~40 crashes per day from wrong pedal errors alone (Electrek, August 22, 2022)

  In an apparent response to growing public scrutiny, Tesla recently announced that its research has revealed that its advanced driver assistance system, Autopilot, is currently preventing approximately 40 crashes per day by correcting drivers who press the wrong pedal during driving operations.  

  As has been widely reported, Tesla vehicles have often been accused of accelerating on their own, resulting in crashes.  According to the article, Tesla maintains that more often than not these “sudden unintended acceleration” events are caused by a driver’s mistakenly pressing the wrong pedal.  Last year, NHTSA released findings from its investigation, which Tesla maintains confirms these events were in fact due to user errors.

  In an attempt to address pedal misapplication, Tesla “is using its advanced driver assist (ADAS) technology to try to detect that even though the driver is pressing on the accelerator, they are likely doing it unintentionally.”  According to the article, Tesla claims to have achieved impressive results with this new technology: “Autopilot prevents ~40 crashes per day where human drivers mistakenly press the accelerator at 100% instead of the brakes.”

  It will be interesting to see whether NHTSA’s ongoing investigations will consider this claim during its probe into the safety and capabilities of Tesla’s Autopilot advanced driver assistance system.

• USAA Among First Insurers to Introduce Crash Detection Technology (PR Newswire, August 17, 2022)

  In yet another nod to the growing importance of telematics data, USAA recently announced it is one of the first auto insurance carriers to implement crash detection technology, an innovation USAA claims will simplify and expedite the claims process. 

  The crash detection technology, integrated in USAA's SafePilot®, app, “leverages smart phone sensors within the app to detect a possible collision and prompts the member to verify if an accident has occurred.  Once verified, the app immediately offers helpful information, including safety guidance for the accident scene, the option to file a claim via a streamlined process, or the ability to dial 911 directly from the app.”

  This news comes on the heels of an announcement by OnStar, the in-vehicle safety and security system from General Motors, that it is now a required option on specific models.  GM hopes that the end product picked up by the GM owner may likely be a combination of insurance – via OnStar Insurance Services – alongside safety features such as GM’s Automatic Crash Response offered through the OnStar Guardian app.

• How is new technology revolutionising the automotive insurance and repair industry? (Automotive World, August 17, 2022)

  As with many industries that were forced into an accelerated transition into the digital economy, the automotive insurance and repair industry is quickly pivoting to this new technological landscape.  “These enabling technologies, coupled with evolving consumer demands, are driving several trends that will forever change the claims and repair experience.”  As EV technology continues to become more sophisticated, the challenge of adequately insuring and repairing these vehicles, likewise, becomes increasingly complex, and costly.  This evolution poses not only challenges, but great opportunities for insurers and repair facilities that can develop the skillsets and tools needed to give them a competitive advantage in mitigating repair times and claim resolution.

  As this article notes, the key to transitioning to this new technological landscape is the development and expansion of “connected ecosystems” throughout the automotive industry. “Establishing seamless connections between the tens of thousands of providers across the industry that must come together to resolve the hundreds of multi-party decisions that result from a single claim is essential.  This industry ecosystem spans auto insurers, collision repairers, parts suppliers, automakers, lenders, tow, and healthcare providers in the event of an injury resulting from a crash.”

  As we have noted previously, telematics data is poised to become the key driver for this new connected ecosystem.  “Data from the vehicles themselves, digital images of the vehicles and historic claims and repair data can combine to enable more accurate decisions, increase processing times, and better overall policyholder experiences.”  Moreover, “[t]elematics data [collected directly from a vehicle], shared across connected providers, accelerates communication between all parties involved, ultimately reducing the repair cycle time, and increasing customer satisfaction.”