Evolving innovations and policymaking regarding in-vehicle and app-connected data sources were discussed during one of three Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit sessions and focused on how telematics can ultimately benefit collision avoidance and consumer safety.

A panel of executives from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (Auto Innovators), Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT), and GM Enterprise Innovation discussed the topics from their varying vantage points — data use cases, auto insurance, vehicle innovations, and proposed safety and privacy policies — last week at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

“Customer service experience for the consumer has led people to much lower customer satisfaction overall,” said Ryan McMahon, CMT strategy and corporate development senior vice president. “For the insurance industry, they are dealing with customer defections not just because of price, and price is a major issue… If you look at the inflation index, auto insurance is No. 1.

“The main issue that comes down to the insurance process that’s happened in the last few years has been trying to get more speed into the entirety of the repair process… What happened was the insurance industry realized the technology that we were developing and that we work on, measures driving behavior.”

McMahon added that the same components used to assess individual risk could also be used to detect a crash.

“The insurance industry started to pull us into the crash detection process to then help them facilitate an engagement with the consumer,” he said. “What’s happening is this movement, because data is available, into a world where you can be proactive versus reactive. And for the insurance company, it means significant savings. The insurers are going to continue to push in this direction because for them, time is directly money whether that’s in storage costs or rental costs.

“This crash assistance process and environment is really opening up the doors to providing relationships with customers that otherwise wouldn’t be there. And whether that’s from an insurance company, from an automaker, from another trusted brand — it now involves that customer getting through the level of complexity into something that’s much more tailored to them.”

From the perspective of Auto Innovators, Senior Vice President of Policy Hilary Cain shared that automakers are focusing on innovations in crash avoidance and post-crash care vehicle features.

A lot of the data collected by vehicles can help make consumer experiences with crashes more efficient and lead to better outcomes, she said.

“Some of that data is being gathered from other vehicles that are on the road that notice those hazards — notice that patch of ice, notice that vehicle stopped in the road,” Cain said. “Some of it’s coming from infrastructure but that can then feed into alerts into the vehicle that let people know that that hazard’s up ahead.”

OEMs are also increasingly looking into integrating features that pinpoint strengths and areas of needed improvement to aid new drivers in learning to be better drivers and avoid crashes.

As for post-crash care, Cain said more vehicle data collected means more information about the severity of the crash or other information that may be useful to first responders.

“Using things like sensors sensing velocity and direction of force, whether there have been multiple impacts — that additional information can provide a more robust situational awareness to first responders… How many people are in the vehicle? Are there people in the backseat? [That’s] useful information as first responders are going to the scene of the crash to respond, determining if anyone’s going to need medical care and what kind of medical care they’re going to need.”

Heart rate sensors in seat belts are also an example innovation that Cain says could have obvious benefit for improved post-crash care because first responders can tell faster who to help first. The same is the case with in-cabin cameras in letting first responders know where passengers are in the vehicle post-crash.

During the Q&A portion of the session, Cain was asked how OEMs would protect data from going to the right people in the right situation, such as first responders post-crash, and not to health insurers, for example.

“That’s exactly the right question. I think it’s what everyone is struggling with and trying to figure out,” Cain said. “I do think there are some interesting models that we’re seeing emerge.”

She provided one example being debated in Europe that she said she could see eventually making its way to the U.S.

“Think of a scenario where there’s lots of data coming off of your vehicle and it’s going into a cloud and then you, as the owner of that vehicle, control which third parties under what circumstances get access to your vehicle’s data,” Cain said. “You may be able to say, in the case of a collision, ‘I would really like that type of health-related or biometric information to go to first responders who can help me but I sure as heck don’t want it going to anybody else beyond that.'”

Cain noted that data can also indicate if a tow truck will be needed and help passengers who can leave the scene on their own to find a way to get to their destination whether by taxi, rideshare, or other options.

“There’s an incredible amount of innovation going on right now,” Cain said. “I think we are at the beginning of the beginning of what this type of technology can do and be for customers and for everyone in this ecosystem to make this whole process more effective and efficient and increase positive outcomes.”

GM announced a new app, called Collision Assistance, during the panel discussion that helps customers navigate what to do following a collision.

John Eck, GM Collision Assistance head of product, said Collision Assistance provides additional support to consumers following their OnStar experience, including providing information on GM-certified repair shops.

GM has been dissecting the post-collision journey for consumers to understand the process and emotions, Eck said. He said the company focused on solving consumer pain points.

When it comes to claims processing and repair, Cain said vehicle data “can be very helpful to insurance companies trying to figure out who ultimately needs to be responsible for paying for the repairs.”

For example, external cameras on vehicles can help determine who’s at fault in hit-and-run crashes when cars are parked and unattended by the owner.

However, as covered by the speakers and raised by questions from the audience, there’s always the concern of safeguarding consumer data.

Cain said policymakers are rethinking the typical notice and consent approach of providing data collection and use notice to consumers who then give or deny permission.

“Rather than notice and consent, maybe just saying this is how companies can use data and this is how companies cannot use data, period… That’s a good model — I’m not saying that’s a bad model — but it is sometimes over-inclusive,” she said. “If we say companies can’t use customers’ location data, a lot of those things I just told you about getting first responders to the scene of a crash or all of those things that, in the moment, somebody needs and wants but didn’t know that they were going to need or want before might not be available if that kind of model is adopted.

“How this data is shared is a big deal. There’s a lot of talk about data going from vehicles directly to third parties. There’s talk about data going from vehicles to servers and then from there to third parties. Figuring out which of those models is safer and more secure is an important conversation for us to have.”

McMahon added, “I think that the challenge has been that there are bad actors in the data brokerage space… I think eventually, overall, as people work through different business models and most of those kinds of bad actors get sort of sorted out eventually, as long as there’s transparency. But eventually, the value of the data is so high to the consumer that it’s in the consumer’s best interest to have some role in this environment.

Cain noted recent developments in which national security is also of concern when it comes to vehicle data collection and sharing.

“There is a tremendous amount of concern about data from U.S. people getting into the hands of the Chinese government for surveillance purposes,” she said. “Two regulations are being developed right now that would directly impact the auto industry.”

According to a recent Morgan Lewis report, major vehicle manufacturers that have been reliant on Chinese or Russian technology may face considerable challenges if the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) moves forward with proposed rules to address connected vehicles.

The BIS published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on Sept. 23 outlining proposed rules to address national security risks associated with information and communications technology and services (ICTS) integral to connected vehicles designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied by persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of China and Russia.

The proposed rules were published following a March advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) that was issued under an Executive Order.

Images

Featured image: Ryan McMahon, CMT strategy and corporate development senior vice president, speaks during a 2024 OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit session held on Nov. 7 in Las Vegas. (Lurah Lowery/Repairer Driven News)

(From left): McMahon; John Eck, GM Collision Assistance head of product; Hilary Cain, Auto Innovators senior vice president of policy; and Aaron Schulenburg, SCRS executive director, participate in a panel discussion during a session of the 2024 OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit held on Nov. 7 in Las Vegas. (Lurah Lowery/Repairer Driven News)