System for risk mitigation based on road geometry and weather factors

• US 9,996,883 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate Corporation)
• Inventors: Bogovich, Jason Brian, Jordan Peters, Julie A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatib, Rami
• Application Number:
  US14/673,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20160189305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 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 satellite navigation system, wherein the satellite navigation system is located in the vehicle and is configured to detect locations of the vehicle associated with a route being traveled by the vehicle, the locations of the vehicle associated with the route being traveled by the vehicle comprising a first location and a second location;

a display screen, wherein the display screen is located in the vehicle;

a computer processor communicatively coupled to the satellite navigation system; and

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

receive, from the satellite navigation system, information identifying a location of the vehicle;

calculate a safety risk score associated with a direction of travel along the route being traveled by the vehicle based on road feature information, the information identifying the location of the vehicle received from the satellite navigation system, a current direction of travel of the vehicle, a location of one or more road features associated with the road feature information along the route, and weather information identifying current weather conditions associated with the route being traveled by the vehicle; and

debit an account associated with a driver of the vehicle by an amount associated with the safety risk score associated with the direction of travel along the route being traveled by the vehicle, wherein debiting the account associated with the driver of the vehicle by the amount associated with the safety risk score comprises;

generating a notification indicating that the account associated with the driver of the vehicle is being charged for the amount associated with the safety risk score based on the route being traveled by the vehicle; and

displaying, on the display screen in the vehicle, the notification indicating that the account associated with the driver of the vehicle is being charged for the amount associated with the safety risk score based on the route being traveled by the vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first location comprises a start location associated with a segment of the route being traveled by the vehicle and the second location comprises an end location of the segment of the route being traveled by the vehicle.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer processor and the computer memory are part of a telematics device, and wherein the telematics device is communicatively coupled to an onboard diagnostic system of the vehicle and is configured to monitor and record information indicative of consumption of safety risk units based on the safety risk score.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer memory stores additional instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the system to:

calculate total safety risk units consumed by the vehicle in traveling from the first location to the second location based on the safety risk score; and

transmit, over a network, information indicative of the total safety risk units consumed by the vehicle in traveling from the first location to the second location, wherein debiting the account associated with the driver of the vehicle by the amount associated with the safety risk score comprises debiting the account associated with the driver of the vehicle based on the total safety risk units consumed by the vehicle in traveling from the first location to the second location.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein calculating the safety risk score associated with the direction of travel along the route being traveled by the vehicle comprises calculating the safety risk score based on a risk tolerance value stored in the computer memory.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an ancillary data store storing information indicative of one or more of;

road hazards, road features, weather, or traffic;

wherein calculating the safety risk score associated with the direction of travel along the route being traveled by the vehicle comprises calculating the safety risk score based on one or more of;

a type of road topology in the route being traveled by the vehicle, a road feature along one or more segments of the route being traveled by the vehicle, or information accessed from the ancillary data store; and

wherein the type of road topology in the route being traveled by the vehicle comprises one or more of;

highway, city street, country road, parking lot, or bridge.

7. The system of claim 1, comprising:

an output device located in the vehicle comprising a speaker;

wherein the output device is configured to alert the driver of the vehicle to a high risk road segment; and

wherein the output device is configured to output an offer to the driver of the vehicle associated with an incentive for avoiding the high risk road segment.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the account associated with the driver of the vehicle is associated with a pay-as-you-drive vehicle insurance policy of the vehicle, and wherein the computer memory stores additional instructions that, when executed by the computer processor, cause the system to:

notify an account holder of the account associated with the driver of the vehicle when a number of risk units consumed during a period of time is greater than an estimated amount.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the weather information identifying the current weather conditions associated with the route being traveled by the vehicle is retrieved in at least near real-time.

10. A method comprising:

at a system comprising a satellite navigation system, a display screen, a computer processor communicatively coupled to the satellite navigation system, and a computer memory storing instructions;

receiving, by the computer processor, from the satellite navigation system, information identifying a location of a vehicle, wherein the satellite navigation system is located in the vehicle and is configured to detect locations of the vehicle associated with a route being traveled by the vehicle, the locations of the vehicle associated with the route being traveled by the vehicle comprising a first location and a second location, and wherein the display screen is located in the vehicle;

calculating, by the computer processor, a safety risk score associated with a direction of travel along the route being traveled by the vehicle based on road feature information, the information identifying the location of the vehicle received from the satellite navigation system, a current direction of travel of the vehicle, a location of one or more road features associated with the road feature information along the route, and weather information identifying current weather conditions associated with the route being traveled by the vehicle; and

debiting, by the computer processor, an account associated with a driver of the vehicle by an amount associated with the safety risk score associated with the direction of travel along the route being traveled by the vehicle, wherein debiting the account associated with the driver of the vehicle by the amount associated with the safety risk score comprises;

generating a notification indicating that the account associated with the driver of the vehicle is being charged for the amount associated with the safety risk score based on the route being traveled by the vehicle; and

displaying, on the display screen in the vehicle, the notification indicating that the account associated with the driver of the vehicle is being charged for the amount associated with the safety risk score based on the route being traveled by the vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first location comprises a start location associated with a segment of the route being traveled by the vehicle and the second location comprises an end location of the segment of the route being traveled by the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the computer processor and the computer memory are part of a telematics device, and wherein the telematics device is communicatively coupled to an onboard diagnostic system of the vehicle and is configured to monitor and record information indicative of consumption of safety risk units based on the safety risk score.

13. The method of claim 10, comprising:

calculating, by the computer processor, total safety risk units consumed by the vehicle in traveling from the first location to the second location based on the safety risk score; and

transmitting, by the computer processor, over a network, information indicative of the total safety risk units consumed by the vehicle in traveling from the first location to the second location, wherein debiting the account associated with the driver of the vehicle by the amount associated with the safety risk score comprises debiting the account associated with the driver of the vehicle based on the total safety risk units consumed by the vehicle in traveling from the first location to the second location.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein calculating the safety risk score associated with the direction of travel along the route being traveled by the vehicle comprises calculating the safety risk score based on a risk tolerance value stored in the computer memory.

15. The method of claim 10,

wherein the system comprises an ancillary data store storing information indicative of one or more of:

road hazards, road features, weather, or traffic,

wherein calculating the safety risk score associated with the direction of travel along the route being traveled by the vehicle comprises calculating the safety risk score based on one or more of;

a type of road topology in the route being traveled by the vehicle, a road feature along one or more segments of the route being traveled by the vehicle, or information accessed from the ancillary data store, and

wherein the type of road topology in the route being traveled by the vehicle comprises one or more of;

highway, city street, country road, parking lot, or bridge.

16. The method of claim 10,

wherein the system comprises an output device located in the vehicle comprising a speaker,

wherein the output device is configured to alert the driver of the vehicle to a high risk road segment, and

wherein the output device is configured to output an offer to the driver of the vehicle associated with an incentive for avoiding the high risk road segment.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the account associated with the driver of the vehicle is associated with a pay-as-you-drive vehicle insurance policy of the vehicle, and wherein the method comprises:

notifying, by the computer processor, an account holder of the account associated with the driver of the vehicle when a number of risk units consumed during a period of time is greater than an estimated amount.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the weather information identifying the current weather conditions associated with the route being traveled by the vehicle is retrieved in at least near real-time.

19. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a computer processor of a system comprising a satellite navigation system, a display screen, and a computer memory, cause the computer processor to:

receive, from the satellite navigation system, information identifying a location of a vehicle, wherein the satellite navigation system is located in the vehicle and is configured to detect locations of the vehicle associated with a route being traveled by the vehicle, the locations of the vehicle associated with the route being traveled by the vehicle comprising a first location and a second location, and wherein the display screen is located in the vehicle;

calculate a safety risk score associated with a direction of travel along the route being traveled by the vehicle based on road feature information, the information identifying the location of the vehicle received from the satellite navigation system, a current direction of travel of the vehicle, a location of one or more road features associated with the road feature information along the route, and weather information identifying current weather conditions associated with the route being traveled by the vehicle; and

debit an account associated with a driver of the vehicle by an amount associated with the safety risk score associated with the direction of travel along the route being traveled by the vehicle, wherein debiting the account associated with the driver of the vehicle by the amount associated with the safety risk score comprises;

generating a notification indicating that the account associated with the driver of the vehicle is being charged for the amount associated with the safety risk score based on the route being traveled by the vehicle; and

displaying, on the display screen in the vehicle, the notification indicating that the account associated with the driver of the vehicle is being charged for the amount associated with the safety risk score based on the route being traveled by the vehicle.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the first location comprises a start location associated with a segment of the route being traveled by the vehicle and the second location comprises an end location of the segment of the route being traveled by the vehicle.