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Motor insurance fraud – cash for crash

Reading Time: 4 minutes

How much motor insurance fraud

There were 42.5k instances of motor insurance fraud in 2022. The average value of each incident was £15k.  This data was revealed by a recent ABI article.

Wow!

Types of motor insurance fraud – cash for crash

There are several types of motor insurance fraud.

So-called ‘cash for crash’ is one. Highway Code Rule 126 states that you should ‘leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front’ – meaning that the driver at the back of a collision is usually found at fault.

Criminal gangs will monitor traffic at stop-start locations (eg roundabouts, congestion areas), and those drivers or vehicles looking likely to have comprehensive motor insurance. For example, older people or mothers with children in the car.

Commercial vehicles are also targeted as deemed less likely to refute insurance claims.  They may have two cars involved, one to brake harshly in front of you, the second to tailgate to distract you.   An accident will then be staged and you will be liable.

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Types of motor insurance fraud – fronting

A second type of motor insurance fraud is known as fronting.  Fronting is when a younger driver is added as the named driver on a policy but is actually the main driver of the vehicle.

Unfortunately, the pursuit of a cheaper policy could result in (or cost) the cancellation of the policy, or at least a claim refused.

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Motor insurance fraud – how can telematics help?

REDTAIL claims data offers immediate and granular digital evidence of who did what to whom as well as when and where it happened.  That data is available within seconds of an incident, allowing insurers to manage claims processes with accuracy, speed and humanity.  Making the right telephone call at the right time to offer help is a vital element of customer service and positive for brand.

Secondly, we have billions of miles of driver behaviour data that offers representation on the sorts of context and driving that does lead to an incident.  Our data determines driving ‘signatures’. In particular, ways of handling a car (I do NOT drive like my kids!), that can corroborate who drives a particular vehicle the most.  We can also scrutinize driving patterns.  For example, a vehicle being close to a roundabout for extended periods, which could indicate waiting for ‘crash for cash’ victims.

Why?

In the main, insurers are not yet embracing the benefits of telematics data-based claims.

The adoption of this technology-based approach is only one part of a digital transformation strategy.  I know of three major insurers who are undergoing such a transformation.  Striving to have telematics data value understood and to get appropriate IT resources allocated.  Clearly, both the industry and sales guys like me must evangelize with power and relevance to get the message across.

Motor insurance fraud – the main points

Telematics data for claims means better data, faster data, cost-effective processes and reduction in fraud and liability.

All this = Return on investment (ROI)!

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Telematics car insurance – inflation busting?

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Inflation busting telematics informed car insurance

It’s about the loss ratio, and the economics.  And the company culture, and the policyholder focus.  So how can telematics car insurance help beat inflation?

The numbers (illustrative):

A decade ago, the modus operandi of our energy and insurance sectors was straightforward yet arguably lacked efficiency. Traditional electricity meters were read manually with several months between each reading, with bills approximated based on these sparse data points. Simultaneously, auto insurance premiums were determined annually, a practice that largely neglected the fluctuating nature of risk factors.

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Key equation:

Telematics costs must be equal to or lower than the reduction in losses incurred.  The areas where telematics can generate strong ROI are:

  • Risk management – understand and act on ways to improve the driving behaviours of your policyholders to reduce their chances of having an accident
  • Claims fraud – understand forensic detail of events around a claim to weed out fact from fiction
  • Claims process – benefit from efficiencies in digital data and speed of resolution
  • Claims liability – understand forensic detail of events around a claim to inform liability and court proceedings
  • Customer retention – loyalty prompted by value and fairness; reduces cost (discount, marketing) of keeping that policyholder

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Is that a business case approach?

So that is a business case approach, yes ?  The loss prevention benefit must exceed the cost of the technology deployment.  Three elements to moving forward: minimize costs, maximize benefits, evangelize this solution!  Let’s explore.

Minimize costs

Much has been written and said on app-based approaches.  The pros are evident – ease of sign up, adoption and usage, immediate generation and use of data.  The cost very much lower than costs involving an additional piece of kit, a telematics device or tag.  The cons are on the limitation on the very best claims data.  In addition, there is a necessary strategic view on IT investment.

Maximize benefits

An impactful driver coaching programme based on app-generated ‘scoring data’ is a considerable undertaking both in terms of skillsets and money.  The benefits are as yet unproven although the rate of adoption (particularly in the US) suggests some belief.  Claims management and resolution is more clearly appraised in the efficiencies realised through digital solutions, and the robust granular data powerful in court.

Lastly, more engagement with App-based tech has reduced customer service costs (more self-service) for insurers also.

Evangelize

The US leads.

Survey says of those offered telematics, 60% opted in.  Frequent inexpensive rewards have proved popular.  Along with accident assistance and anti-theft support. However, penetration is still low, at 5%.  In South Africa Discovery Insurance saw a 15% improvement in driving behaviours within 30 days of joining.  Surely positives and opportunities? Can the UK, Europe and APAC catch up, and offer fairer, better insurance for ever broader markets?

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Telematics benefits: what’s new – innovation in 2024

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Telematics benefits: Redtail Telematics and some of our recent highlights…

It is fair to say that our team of innovators never stop thinking and acting and creating. In fact, they would much prefer to be dreaming up the new to maintaining the current. But of course, we are committed to both and execute with rigour and our customary dedication to quality. Here are a few recent highlights:

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Dashboards and Dashcards

Previously, we talked about our App and Tag solution (see our App and Tag low mileage UBI solution and our Redtail Bluetooth Tag blog posts).  In addition, we also offer a suite of dashboards to help businesses monitor the health of their fleet and stay informed about any incidents. Our Dashcards feature allows businesses to monitor bespoke key metrics.  These include; fuel consumption, engine performance, and driver behavior on a single NOC (network operations center) board. This makes it easy for fleet managers to identify any issues and take action to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

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Crashboard and Crashcards

Our Crashboard is another valuable tool for businesses. It displays real-time information about any crashes that occur in your fleet on a map, which makes it easy to identify where incidents are occurring and to take action to improve safety. The Crashboard also includes crash analysis and reconstruction capabilities. These can help businesses understand the causes of incidents and take steps to prevent them from happening again.

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Fleetmap

Finally, our Fleetmap feature allows businesses to view live and historical journeys.  This can be used to optimise routes, improve efficiency, and reduce costs. Also, the Fleetmap includes real-time tracking, geofencing, and alerts. These can help businesses stay informed about the location and status of their vehicles at all times. Overall, these feature-rich innovations provide a comprehensive solution for businesses looking to optimize their fleet operations and reduce costs.

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Telematics benefits

We are committed to continual improvement and innovation in the field of telematics. These latest highlights are just a snapshot of what we continue to work on and strive to achieve. So, watch this space.

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Cost of living crisis: how telematics can help save you money!

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Telematics and cost of living

The cost of living crisis is real.  For most Britons, their biggest household bill after council tax and energy is their car insurance.

We have seen that inflation is slowing a touch as oil prices reduce.  However, ONS data has also revealed that the price of car insurance shot up 50.9% in the last 12 months.

Ouch!

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A typical policy now costs £2,145 for under-25s, £850 for the 25-to-49 age group, and £568 for over-50s

Our recent YouGov survey found that insurers are missing opportunities to win new telematics motor insurance customers. Only 4% of respondents had received any communication from insurers about telematics benefits.

This low number is partly owing to the lack of transparency offered by price comparison websites.  Additionally, it is at odds with consumer demand as the interest in telematics-based insurance continues to rise.

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How does telematics work?

Telematics involves having a small device fitted to your car that records the speed, distance travelled and time of the day the car is driven. The device can also monitor motorists’ driving style by recording braking pressure and speed of acceleration.

This information is relayed to the insurance company and in some cases, you are rewarded with a discount or other rewards for good driving. However, there is a potential downside. The customer’s premium could go up or their insurance may be cancelled altogether if they drive carelessly or badly.

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How does telematics appeal to consumers?

Three main incentives for choosing telematics-based insurance policies were expressed by respondents. These are:

  • Obtaining cheaper car insurance
  • Being incentivized financially to drive safely
  • Having improved awareness of their driving style

Other ways telematics can help you save…

The appeal of telematics policies is broadening as a way for all drivers to access lower premiums. Redtail Telematics’ customer By Miles offers pay-as-you-drive policies. These policies are priced by the mile and only use the distance driven. There is no driver scoring or curfews. This brings telematics out of the youth market and offers the benefits of smarter, fairer pricing to a far wider audience.

Half of road users have reduced their mileage through the cost of living crisis. As a result, they may now be better off with pay-by-mile insurance. On average, those drivers who switched to By Miles were able to save around £300 a year. These savings will help with expenses elsewhere and the cost of living crisis.

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Impacts of new legislation in January 2022

New rules introduced in January 2022, prevent insurers from quoting higher prices to existing customers than they would a new customer. This practice of ‘price walking’ was outlawed in an attempt to make insurance pricing fairer and more transparent. With telematics, insurers can help their customers reduce their premiums AND deliver a wealth of benefits. These benefits include improved driver safety and a more efficient claims experience.

Action needed!

This round of research has been particularly revealing about how the insurers’ message is not getting through. As a result, the public’s understanding of the benefits Telematics policies can bring is poor. The richness and relevance of telematics data remains invaluable.

It informs insurers looking to:

  • Provide fair pricing
  • Improve road safety
  • Respond to environmental concerns

Redtail is passionate about our data informing insurer data to make a discernible impact on all three.

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