Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) has introduced AI-powered Roadside Assistance and several other updates that it says make telematics programs more helpful, accessible, and convenient for drivers by expanding protection, accelerating claims, and increasing engagement.

The new Roadside Assistance detects when a driver pulls over due to vehicle issues, such as flat tires or mechanical failures, according to a press release from CMT.

“Telematics has traditionally been about pricing, crash detection, and claims efficiency, but that’s just the starting point,” said Hari Balakrishnan, CMT co-founder and chief technology officer, in the release. “We’re expanding the value of telematics by offering drivers more help, more often — whether it’s roadside assistance, hail alerts, crash support, or AI Total Loss. We’re making programs more consumer-friendly with devices like Tag+ that keep drivers connected, while also making it easier for our partners to deliver life-saving services and engage drivers.”

Many of the new features have been tested with both insurers and drivers. AI Total Loss has been proven to help insurers make total loss decisions in half the time.

“We ran a pilot for AI Total Loss that matched incoming claims with our model’s predictions and compared them to the insurer’s final total loss decisions,” CMT told Repairer Driven News. “The goal was to measure how accurately and early the model could identify total losses, before an adjuster reviewed the claim. In some cases, the model helped reduce the time to confirm a total loss from weeks to minutes.”

During a 2024 session of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit, Ryan McMahon, CMT’s strategy and corporate development senior vice president, said the main issue in the insurance claims process over the last few years has been finding ways of speeding it up.

“What happened was the insurance industry realized the technology that we were developing and that we work on, measures driving behavior,” he said. “The insurance industry started to pull us into the crash detection process to then help them facilitate an engagement with the consumer. 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.”

Now, CMT has enhanced its crash protections with a feature that works without phone location permissions on Android devices. When a crash is detected where a driver may need help, CMT sends a push notification to begin the process of alerting emergency services with the vehicle location.

CMT introduced a similar feature on iPhones last year by integrating Apple’s SafetyKit. Its crash signals feed into CMT’s AI models, helping insurers expand their crash response and digital claims coverage, CMT said.

Today, it can take up to 12 days from the date of loss for a vehicle to be determined a total loss, according to CMT. However, its AI Total Loss tool will make it easier and faster for drivers to collect necessary information after a crash.

Insurers can use telematics sensor data and AI photo analysis at the scene to confirm a total loss, avoiding secondary tows and multiple service visits, according to CMT.

CMT’s Crash Timeline Visualization also provides claims teams with “a clear, interactive view of the event,” to aid in faster, more accurate decisions, according to the release.

“It can be hard for an adjuster to get a clear view of what happened in a crash from a phone call,” CMT told RDN. “CMT’s Crash Timeline Visualization shows a detailed sequence of driving events leading up to the crash, including hard braking, cornering, acceleration, and more. It also identifies the moment of impact and what happened immediately after. The timeline is interactive, allowing adjusters to zoom in on specific events to see the exact sequence and timing for a clearer, data-backed view of the crash.”

CMT has also launched Tag+, an upgraded version of its flagship device that helps consumers stay connected to their safe driving program even when phone app permissions are off. In testing, Tag+ achieved a 98% driver retention rate, and CMT’s new messaging platform boosted first-month driver retention by 18%.

“CMT’s research shows that engaged drivers are safer drivers,” the release states. “To boost driver engagement, CMT has overhauled its messaging platform so insurers can launch engagement campaigns faster, personalize outreach, and reach drivers across channels. Insurers are already seeing results: a new milestone campaign increased retention by 19%, while enhancements to the welcome and crash messaging flows are driving higher engagement and stronger retention.”

The company is also working to address hail damage claims. According to CMT, hail damage to vehicles costs $8 billion to $14 billion annually, ranging from $5,000 to $8,000 per vehicle for moderate repairs. Using local forecasts, CMT’s Hail Alerts delivers personalized warnings for severe weather to vehicle owners, giving them time to move their vehicles and avoid costly hail damage, the release states.

Now, companies can launch their own crash assistance programs with CMT’s help. Crash Assistance is fully available to white-label apps with a standardized “ready-to-deploy solution without any custom app development.” CMT’s technology can also be deployed on mobile devices through a customer-built app.

Insurify’s 2025 Digital Experience Index survey found that consumers’ trust in and loyalty to their insurers are reduced when faced with poor claims experiences. The survey also found that 64% of consumers would consider switching insurers for a better digital experience.

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Featured image provided by Cambridge Mobile Telematics