Road segment safety rating

• US 10,157,422 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2015
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Jordan Peters, Julie A., Ferguson, Dana, Madigan, Regina, McKenna, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US14/607,433
• Publication Number:
  US 20160086285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,420 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• 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: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/012 from other sources than vehicle or roadside beacons, e.g. mobile networks
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0129 for creating historical data or processing based on historical data
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• 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

Abstract

Methods, computer-readable media, systems and apparatuses for determining a road segment safety rating are provided. In some arrangements, the road segment safety rating may be based on historical data associated with the road segment (e.g., accident history data, traffic volume data, etc.). In other examples, the road segment safety rating may be based on historical data as well as driving behavior data of the operator of the vehicle. In some arrangements, the determined road segment safety rating may be compared to a threshold. If the road segment safety rating is below the threshold, the system may generate one or more alternate road segments or route for the driver to consider. In some examples, the road segment safety rating may be used to determine an insurance premium or one or more insurance incentives to provide to the user.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a telematics device configured to receive sensor information corresponding to vehicle operation data associated with a vehicle, wherein the telematics device is communicatively coupled to an onboard diagnostic system of the vehicle and is further configured to identify at least one driving behavior of a driver of the vehicle based on the sensor information received over a duration of time;

a global positioning system (GPS) device associated with the vehicle; and

an insurance system server communicatively coupled to the GPS device and the telematics device, the insurance system server comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the insurance system server to;

receive, from the GPS device associated with the vehicle, while the vehicle is traveling along a road segment, location information identifying a location of the vehicle;

determine, based on the location information received from the GPS device associated with the vehicle, the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling;

receive, from the telematics device, while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, the sensor information received over the duration of time and an indication of the at least one driving behavior of the driver of the vehicle identified by the telematics device;

receive, from one or more sources, while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, historical data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling;

while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, determine a safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling based on the historical data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling and the indication of the at least one driving behavior of the driver of the vehicle received from the telematics device;

while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, determine an insurance cost associated with travelling on the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling based on the safety rating determined for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling;

while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, generate an insurance incentive based on the insurance cost associated with travelling on the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling; and

while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, provide the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling to the driver of the vehicle,

wherein providing the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling to the driver of the vehicle comprises sending route risk value information to the GPS device associated with the vehicle based on the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling,

wherein sending the route risk value information to the GPS device associated with the vehicle causes the GPS device associated with the vehicle to display the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling in a red color if the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is below a predetermined threshold or in a green color if the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is not below the predetermined threshold, and

wherein providing the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling to the driver of the vehicle comprises sending, to the GPS device associated with the vehicle, the insurance incentive generated based on the insurance cost associated with travelling on the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory stores additional computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the insurance system server to:

determine whether the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is above a second predetermined threshold;

responsive to determining that the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is not above the second predetermined threshold, generate information suggesting at least one alternate road segment for the vehicle and transmit, to a device associated with the driver of the vehicle, the information suggesting the at least one alternate road segment for the vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is above the second predetermined threshold, transmit, to the device associated with the driver of the vehicle, information indicating that the safety rating of the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is above the second predetermined threshold.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the historical data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling comprises one or more of accident frequency data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling or traffic volume data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory stores additional computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the insurance system server to:

identify the driver of the vehicle; and

based on identifying the driver of the vehicle, retrieve driving behavior information associated with the driver of the vehicle,

wherein determining the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is based on the driving behavior information associated with the driver of the vehicle.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein providing the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling to the driver of the vehicle comprises transmitting a notification to a computing device of the driver of the vehicle, the notification comprising the safety rating determined for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein transmitting the notification to the computing device of the driver of the vehicle comprises transmitting the notification to a mobile device associated with the driver of the vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein generating the insurance incentive based on the insurance cost associated with travelling on the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling comprises generating a first insurance incentive corresponding to a discount on a premium based on the safety rating determined for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein generating the insurance incentive based on the insurance cost associated with travelling on the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling comprises generating a second insurance incentive corresponding to an amount of cash reward based on the safety rating determined for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling.

9. A method comprising:

at an insurance system server comprising at least one processor and at least one memory;

receiving, by the at least one processor of the insurance system server, from a global positioning system (GPS) device associated with a vehicle, while the vehicle is traveling along a road segment, location information identifying a location of the vehicle, wherein the insurance system server is communicatively coupled to the GPS device and a telematics device configured to receive sensor information corresponding to vehicle operation data associated with a vehicle;

determining, by the at least one processor of the insurance system server, based on the location information received from the GPS device associated with the vehicle, the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling;

receiving, by the at least one processor of the insurance system server, from the telematics device, while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, sensor information received over a duration of time and an indication of at least one driving behavior of a driver of the vehicle identified by the telematics device, wherein the telematics device is communicatively coupled to an onboard diagnostic system of the vehicle and is further configured to identify the at least one driving behavior of the driver of the vehicle based on the sensor information received over the duration of time;

receiving, by the at least one processor of the insurance system server, from one or more sources, while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, historical data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling;

while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, determining, by the at least one processor of the insurance system server, a safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling based on the historical data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling and the indication of the at least one driving behavior of the driver of the vehicle received from the telematics device;

while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, determining, by the at least one processor of the insurance system server, an insurance cost associated with travelling on the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling based on the safety rating determined for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling;

while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, generating, by the at least one processor of the insurance system server, an insurance incentive based on the insurance cost associated with travelling on the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling; and

while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, providing, by the at least one processor of the insurance system server, the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling to the driver of the vehicle,

wherein providing the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling to the driver of the vehicle comprises sending route risk value information to the GPS device associated with the vehicle based on the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling,

wherein sending the route risk value information to the GPS device associated with the vehicle causes the GPS device associated with the vehicle to display the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling in a red color if the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is below a predetermined threshold or in a green color if the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is not below the predetermined threshold, and

wherein providing the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling to the driver of the vehicle comprises sending, to the GPS device associated with the vehicle, the insurance incentive generated based on the insurance cost associated with travelling on the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising:

determining, by the at least one processor of the insurance system server, whether the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is above a second predetermined threshold;

responsive to determining that the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is not above the second predetermined threshold, generating, by the at least one processor of the insurance system server, information suggesting at least one alternate road segment for the vehicle and transmitting, by the at least one processor of the insurance system server, to a device associated with the driver of the vehicle, the information suggesting the at least one alternate road segment for the vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is above the second predetermined threshold, transmitting, by the at least one processor of the insurance system server, to the device associated with the driver of the vehicle, information indicating that the safety rating of the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is above the second predetermined threshold.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the historical data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling comprises one or more of accident frequency data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling or traffic volume data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising:

identifying, by the at least one processor of the insurance system server, the driver of the vehicle; and

based on identifying the driver of the vehicle, retrieving, by the at least one processor of the insurance system server, driving behavior information associated with the driver of the vehicle,

wherein determining the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is based on the driving behavior information associated with the driver of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein providing the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling to the driver of the vehicle comprises transmitting a notification to a computing device of the driver of the vehicle, the notification comprising the safety rating determined for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein transmitting the notification to the computing device of the driver of the vehicle comprises transmitting the notification to a mobile device associated with the driver of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the insurance incentive based on the insurance cost associated with travelling on the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling comprises generating a first insurance incentive corresponding to a discount on a premium based on the safety rating determined for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling.

16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by an insurance system server comprising at least one processor and at least one memory, cause the insurance system server to:

receive, from a global positioning system (GPS) device associated with a vehicle, while the vehicle is traveling along a road segment, location information identifying a location of the vehicle, wherein the insurance system server is communicatively coupled to the GPS device and a telematics device configured to receive sensor information corresponding to vehicle operation data associated with a vehicle;

determine, based on the location information received from the GPS device associated with the vehicle, the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling;

receive, from the telematics device, while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, sensor information received over a duration of time and an indication of at least one driving behavior of a driver of the vehicle identified by the telematics device, wherein the telematics device is communicatively coupled to an onboard diagnostic system of the vehicle and is further configured to identify the at least one driving behavior of the driver of the vehicle based on the sensor information received over the duration of time;

receive, from one or more sources, while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, historical data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling;

while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, determine a safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling based on the historical data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling and the indication of the at least one driving behavior of the driver of the vehicle received from the telematics device;

while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, determine an insurance cost associated with travelling on the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling based on the safety rating determined for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling;

while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, generate an insurance incentive based on the insurance cost associated with travelling on the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling; and

while the vehicle is traveling along the road segment, provide the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling to the driver of the vehicle,

wherein providing the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling to the driver of the vehicle comprises sending route risk value information to the GPS device associated with the vehicle based on the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling,

wherein sending the route risk value information to the GPS device associated with the vehicle causes the GPS device associated with the vehicle to display the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling in a red color if the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is below a predetermined threshold or in a green color if the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is not below the predetermined threshold, and

wherein providing the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling to the driver of the vehicle comprises sending, to the GPS device associated with the vehicle, the insurance incentive generated based on the insurance cost associated with travelling on the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16, storing additional instructions that, when executed by the insurance system server, cause the insurance system server to:

determine whether the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is above a second predetermined threshold;

responsive to determining that the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is not above the second predetermined threshold, generate information suggesting at least one alternate road segment for the vehicle and transmit to a device associated with the driver of the vehicle, the information suggesting the at least one alternate road segment for the vehicle; and

responsive to determining that the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is above the second predetermined threshold, transmit to the device associated with the driver of the vehicle, information indicating that the safety rating of the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is above the second predetermined threshold.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the historical data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling comprises one or more of accident frequency data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling or traffic volume data associated with the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16, storing additional instructions that, when executed by the insurance system server, cause the insurance system server to:

identify the driver of the vehicle; and

based on identifying the driver of the vehicle, retrieve driving behavior information associated with the driver of the vehicle,

wherein determining the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling is based on the driving behavior information associated with the driver of the vehicle.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein providing the safety rating for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling to the driver of the vehicle comprises transmitting a notification to a computing device of the driver of the vehicle, the notification comprising the safety rating determined for the road segment on which the vehicle is travelling.