Route risk mitigation

• US 10,037,579 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2015
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arity International Limited (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Bogovich, Jason Brian, Jordan Peters, Julie A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US14/697,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20160189308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3415 Dynamic re-routing, e.g. recalculating the route when the user deviates from calculated route or after detecting real-time traffic data or accidents
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3461 Preferred or disfavoured areas, e.g. dangerous zones, toll or emission zones, intersections, manoeuvre types, segments such as motorways, toll roads, ferries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096816 where the complete route is transmitted to the vehicle at once
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096827 where the route is computed onboard
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096838 where the user preferences are taken into account or the user selects one route out of a plurality
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]

Abstract

A method is disclosed for mitigating the risks associated with driving by assigning risk values to road segments and using those risk values to select less risky travel routes. Various approaches to helping users mitigate risk are presented. A computing device is configured to generate a database of risk values. That device may receive accident information, geographic information, vehicle information, and other information from one or more data sources and calculate a risk value for the associated road segment. Subsequently, the computing device may provide the associated risk value to other devices. Furthermore, a personal navigation device may receive travel route information and use that information to retrieve risk values for the road segments in the travel route. An insurance company may use this information to determine whether to adjust a quote or premium of an insurance policy. This and other aspects relating to using geographically encoded information to promote and reward risk mitigation are disclosed.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a vehicle;

a location detection unit located in the vehicle and configured to detect locations of the vehicle comprising at least a first location and a second location;

a computer processor communicatively coupled to the location detection unit; and

a computer memory storing instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the computer processor to;

identify a total risk score associated with a vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle;

receive, from the location detection unit, information identifying a travel route of the vehicle and a current direction of travel of the vehicle along the travel route of the vehicle;

determine a route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle, wherein determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle comprises determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle based on the current direction of travel of the vehicle along the travel route of the vehicle and based on accident information associated with the travel route of the vehicle, wherein the accident information associated with the travel route of the vehicle comprises loss information associated with at least one accident occurrence along the travel route of the vehicle and direction information identifying a direction of travel associated with the at least one accident occurrence along the travel route of the vehicle;

adjust the total risk score associated with the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle by deducting the route risk value determined for the travel route of the vehicle; and

if the total risk score associated with the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle is not greater than zero after adjusting the total risk score associated with the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle;

send, to a user device in the vehicle, information associated with an offer to renew the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle before the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle is terminated and while the travel route of the vehicle is being traveled by the vehicle,

wherein sending the information associated with the offer to renew the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle to the user device in the vehicle causes the user device in the vehicle to present a notification for a user of the user device in the vehicle with an option to renew the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first location corresponds to a start location associated with a segment of the travel route of the vehicle and the second location corresponds to an end location of the segment of the travel route of the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer processor and the computer memory are part of a telematics device in the vehicle, wherein the telematics device is coupled to an onboard diagnostic system of the vehicle, and wherein the telematics device is configured to monitor and record consumption of safety risk units as the vehicle is driven along the travel route of the vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the location detection unit is a mobile location tracking device or a global positioning satellite unit.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle comprises determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle based on geographic information.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein adjusting the total risk score associated with the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle comprises aggregating route risk values determined for a plurality of travel routes of the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle comprises:

receiving, from the location detection unit, information identifying a plurality of locations of the vehicle comprising at least the first location and the second location;

retrieving, by a risk unit consumption processor in communication with the location detection unit, a plurality of segment values associated with a plurality of road segments along the travel route of the vehicle, wherein each segment value of the plurality of segment values is determined based on road topology information associated with a corresponding road segment of the plurality of road segments and based on weather condition information associated with the corresponding road segment of the plurality of road segments;

aggregating, by the risk unit consumption processor, the plurality of segment values to determine an aggregate route risk value that is independent of a specific driver of the vehicle; and

determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle based on the aggregate route risk value.

8. A method comprising:

at a system comprising a vehicle, a location detection unit, a computer processor, and a computer memory;

identifying, by the computer processor, a total risk score associated with a vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle;

receiving, by the computer processor, from the location detection unit, information identifying a travel route of the vehicle and a current direction of travel of the vehicle along the travel route of the vehicle, wherein the location detection unit is located in the vehicle and is configured to detect locations of the vehicle comprising at least a first location and a second location;

determining, by the computer processor, a route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle, wherein determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle comprises determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle based on the current direction of travel of the vehicle along the travel route of the vehicle and based on accident information associated with the travel route of the vehicle, wherein the accident information associated with the travel route of the vehicle comprises loss information associated with at least one accident occurrence along the travel route of the vehicle and direction information identifying a direction of travel associated with the at least one accident occurrence along the travel route of the vehicle;

adjusting, by the computer processor, the total risk score associated with the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle by deducting the route risk value determined for the travel route of the vehicle; and

if the total risk score associated with the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle is not greater than zero after adjusting the total risk score associated with the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle;

sending, by the computer processor, to a user device in the vehicle, information associated with an offer to renew the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle before the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle is terminated add and while the travel route of the vehicle is being traveled by the vehicle,

wherein sending the information associated with the offer to renew the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle to the user device in the vehicle causes the user device in the vehicle to present a notification for a user of the user device in the vehicle with an option to renew the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first location corresponds to a start location associated with a segment of the travel route of the vehicle and the second location corresponds to an end location of the segment of the travel route of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the computer processor and the computer memory are part of a telematics device in the vehicle, wherein the telematics device is coupled to an onboard diagnostic system of the vehicle, and wherein the telematics device is configured to monitor and record consumption of safety risk units as the vehicle is driven along the travel route of the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the location detection unit is a mobile location tracking device or a global positioning satellite unit.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle comprises determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle based on geographic information.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein adjusting the total risk score associated with the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle comprises aggregating route risk values determined for a plurality of travel routes of the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle comprises:

receiving, from the location detection unit, information identifying a plurality of locations of the vehicle comprising at least the first location and the second location;

retrieving, by a risk unit consumption processor in communication with the location detection unit, a plurality of segment values associated with a plurality of road segments along the travel route of the vehicle, wherein each segment value of the plurality of segment values is determined based on road topology information associated with a corresponding road segment of the plurality of road segments and based on weather condition information associated with the corresponding road segment of the plurality of road segments;

aggregating, by the risk unit consumption processor, the plurality of segment values to determine an aggregate route risk value that is independent of a specific driver of the vehicle; and

determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle based on the aggregate route risk value.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a computer processor of a system comprising a vehicle, a location detection unit, the computer processor, and a computer memory, cause the computer processor to:

identify a total risk score associated with a vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle;

receive, from the location detection unit, information identifying a travel route of the vehicle and a current direction of travel of the vehicle along the travel route of the vehicle, wherein the location detection unit is located in the vehicle and is configured to detect locations of the vehicle comprising at least a first location and a second location;

determine a route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle, wherein determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle comprises determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle based on the current direction of travel of the vehicle along the travel route of the vehicle and based on accident information associated with the travel route of the vehicle, wherein the accident information associated with the travel route of the vehicle comprises loss information associated with at least one accident occurrence along the travel route of the vehicle and direction information identifying a direction of travel associated with the at least one accident occurrence along the travel route of the vehicle;

adjust the total risk score associated with the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle by deducting the route risk value determined for the travel route of the vehicle; and

if the total risk score associated with the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle is not greater than zero after adjusting the total risk score associated with the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle;

send, to a user device in the vehicle, information associated with an offer to renew the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle before the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle is terminated and while the travel route of the vehicle is being traveled by the vehicle,

wherein sending the information associated with the offer to renew the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle to the user device in the vehicle causes the user device in the vehicle to present a notification for a user of the user device in the vehicle with an option to renew the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the first location corresponds to a start location associated with a segment of the travel route of the vehicle and the second location corresponds to an end location of the segment of the travel route of the vehicle.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the computer processor and the computer memory are part of a telematics device in the vehicle, wherein the telematics device is coupled to an onboard diagnostic system of the vehicle, and wherein the telematics device is configured to monitor and record consumption of safety risk units as the vehicle is driven along the travel route of the vehicle.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle comprises determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle based on geographic information.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein adjusting the total risk score associated with the vehicle insurance policy for the vehicle comprises aggregating route risk values determined for a plurality of travel routes of the vehicle.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle comprises:

receiving, from the location detection unit, information identifying a plurality of locations of the vehicle comprising at least the first location and the second location;

retrieving, by a risk unit consumption processor in communication with the location detection unit, a plurality of segment values associated with a plurality of road segments along the travel route of the vehicle, wherein each segment value of the plurality of segment values is determined based on road topology information associated with a corresponding road segment of the plurality of road segments and based on weather condition information associated with the corresponding road segment of the plurality of road segments;

aggregating, by the risk unit consumption processor, the plurality of segment values to determine an aggregate route risk value that is independent of a specific driver of the vehicle; and

determining the route risk value for the travel route of the vehicle based on the aggregate route risk value.