Route risk mitigation
First Claim
1. A system, comprising:
- a vehicle;
a location detection device associated with the vehicle and monitoring a current location of the vehicle;
a telematics device, which is in communication with a location detection device, monitoring consumption of risk units; and
a computing device comprising;
the processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in a memory;
the memory containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to perform steps comprising;
calculating a route of the vehicle from a start location to an end location;
calculating a route risk score for the route, wherein vehicle direction through the route is a factor in calculating a route risk score for the route, wherein a road segment of the route has a higher risk score for a vehicle travelling in a first direction and a lower risk score for a vehicle traveling in a second direction, wherein the first direction and second direction are in opposite directions;
sending the calculated route and the route risk score to an output device, wherein the route risk score indicates safety risk of the route;
identifying, from location information received via a communication link from the location detection device, a route traveled by the vehicle;
determining a number of risk units consumed based on the calculated route and route risk score and the route traveled by the vehicle;
determining a cost of a vehicle insurance policy based on the number of risk units consumed when the vehicle traveled the route;
comparing total consumed risk units to an estimated number of risk units to be consumed during a policy period; and
when a difference of the total consumed risk units to the estimated number of risk units to be consumed during the policy period is greater than zero, adjusting one associated with a first cost of the policy period or a second cost associated with a subsequent policy period.
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Accused Products
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.
307 Citations
18 Claims
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1. A system, comprising:
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a vehicle; a location detection device associated with the vehicle and monitoring a current location of the vehicle; a telematics device, which is in communication with a location detection device, monitoring consumption of risk units; and a computing device comprising; the processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions stored in a memory; the memory containing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to perform steps comprising; calculating a route of the vehicle from a start location to an end location; calculating a route risk score for the route, wherein vehicle direction through the route is a factor in calculating a route risk score for the route, wherein a road segment of the route has a higher risk score for a vehicle travelling in a first direction and a lower risk score for a vehicle traveling in a second direction, wherein the first direction and second direction are in opposite directions; sending the calculated route and the route risk score to an output device, wherein the route risk score indicates safety risk of the route; identifying, from location information received via a communication link from the location detection device, a route traveled by the vehicle; determining a number of risk units consumed based on the calculated route and route risk score and the route traveled by the vehicle; determining a cost of a vehicle insurance policy based on the number of risk units consumed when the vehicle traveled the route; comparing total consumed risk units to an estimated number of risk units to be consumed during a policy period; and when a difference of the total consumed risk units to the estimated number of risk units to be consumed during the policy period is greater than zero, adjusting one associated with a first cost of the policy period or a second cost associated with a subsequent policy period. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method comprising:
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receiving, by a computing device in a vehicle, a start location at an input device in communication with a processor of the computing device; receiving an end location at the input device; receiving, via a network by the computing device in the vehicle from a remote data source, historical accident information comprising direction of vehicle travel at accident location, accident location, and accident loss information; retrieving, from a remote risk value data store via the network, a segment value for each of a plurality of road segments corresponding to a travel route of a vehicle from the start location to the end location, wherein a risk score for a segment is based on the vehicle direction through the road segment, wherein a road segment of the route has a higher risk score for a vehicle travelling in a first direction and the same road segment has a lower risk score for a vehicle traveling in a second direction, wherein the first direction and second direction are in opposite directions; aggregating the segment values, using the processor, to calculate a route risk score for the travel route, wherein the route risk score is calculated using at least the accident information; and sending the travel route and the route risk score to an output device accessible to a driver of the vehicle, wherein the route risk score indicates risk of a vehicular incident through the route independent of a specific driver; calculating total risk units consumed while traveling from the start location to the end location of the travel route based on location information received from a location detection device in the vehicle while the vehicle travels the travel route; transmitting, using a telematics device in communication with the processor and configured to monitor consumption of risk units, the total consumed risk units; comparing the total consumed risk units to an estimated number of risk units to be consumed during a policy period; and when a difference of the total consumed risk units to the estimated number of risk units to be consumed during the policy period is greater than zero, adjusting one of a first cost associated with the policy period or a second cost associated with a subsequent policy period. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A system comprising:
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a vehicle; a location detection unit, located in the vehicle, configured to detect locations of the vehicle comprising at least a start location and an end location; a computer processor in communication with the location detection unit; and a computer memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to; receive from an input device, a travel route of a vehicle, wherein the travel route comprises the start location and the end location, calculate a safety risk score of the travel route of the vehicle from the start location to the end location using at least historical accident information comprising direction of travel at accident location, accident location, and accident loss information, wherein the safety risk score indicates safety risk of the route independent of a specific driver of the vehicle; wherein calculating the safety risk score of the route of the vehicle comprises using direction of the vehicle through a segment of the route as a factor in calculating the safety risk score, wherein the segment of the route has a higher safety risk score for the vehicle travelling in a first direction and a lower risk score for the vehicle traveling in a second direction, wherein the first direction and second direction are in opposite directions; and based on the safety risk score of the route, determine a total of consumed risk units for the travel route; comparing the total consumed risk units to an estimated number of risk units to be consumed during a policy period; when a difference of the total consumed risk units to the estimated number of risk units to be consumed during the policy period is greater than zero, adjusting one of a first cost associated with the policy period for the vehicle or a second cost associated with a subsequent policy period for the vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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Specification