POLICY - May 2019

POL I CY The Israeli Insurance , Pension&FinanceNewspaper 22 Tel Aviv Re 2019 Parents allowing their children to use the car are not always able to assess the level of care and safety employed by the young drivers. Ituran has developed for them, amongst others, a system which contributes to peace of mind, gathers data on driving quality and safety and gives real time warnings in case of an accident. The Ituran Safety system is designed not only for parents – but also for insurance companies interested in obtaining information on young drivers and in “tailoring” smart and economical policies. Ituran Safety is a tracking system which is based on GPRS. The system includes a “black box” which contains a three-dimensional acceleration sensor which measures the forces acting on the vehicle when it is in motion every ten thousandths of a second. The system monitors the vehicle’s movement and is designed to identify careful driving or alternately aggressive or dangerous driver behavior – sudden abnormal braking, lane swerving, abnormal slowing or speeding up, dangerous overtaking, excessive speeding and so on. Using an advanced and easy-to-use BI (business intelligence) interface, the system provides continuous control and analysis of the data received from the vehicle, including the driving times, characteristics of the roads on which the driver drives a lot. A report is issued, at a pre-set frequency, according to chosen profiles and obtains a driver “grading”, based in driving quality and safety. the system gathers statistical data that are combined and weighted into a grade. Of course, as time goes by and the number of kilometers driven increases, more and more data accumulate, and more information accumulates about driving characteristics. At the same time, it is possible to get information on a single trip and know whether the driver’s behavior is dangerous or abnormal. The grade starts at 100% and goes down according to the standard of the trip. Each type of event has a different weighting according to how serious it is. For example, sudden braking, when it occurs infrequently, does not necessarily point to aggressive or dangerous driving, but even to towards driver alertness and avoidance of accidents. On the other hand, where driving is characterized by frequent sudden braking, the grade drops accordingly. All of the abnormal events (at two levels – aggressive and dangerous) are reported to the Safety computer system, with a grade being put together for the driver. Ituran reports that experience shows that the system helps to prevent accidents, since the mere existence of the system challenges the driver to improve his driving in order to obtain a better grade, and as a result pay a lower premium. OBTAINING FEEDBACK AND EDUCATION FOR BETTER DRIVING The user of the Safety system is able to see the information coming from the vehicle via the Ituram website, via a password. The website gives detailed information used in calculating the driver’s grade, according to ten categories, and is accompanied by wording pointing to the dangerous points and what needs to be improved. Access to the site is simple, discrete and safe, from any computer connected to the internet. The data can be restored up to one year back. The system as a whole gives real time indications also to the driver of every event reported to the control center. It is possible to install on the vehicle display system a light which indicates abnormal or normal driving. The parent is also able to get an indication on the vehicle’s last trip in accordance with the color of the light which goes on when he presses the switch. IMMEDIATE ACCIDENTWARNING COULD SAVE LIVES The Safety system includes an accident sensor which sends a warning in real time to Ituran’s control center when an accident occurs. The control system, which operates 24/7, acts immediately to assist the driver and send assistance, if needed. This assistance can save lives in the case of a serious accident, especially if the accident occurs on a remote or dark road, and gives a response in case of less serious accidents. The world of medicine recognizes the huge importance of rendering first aid in the “golden hour” – the first hour after the accident occurs, which dramatically By Shahar Sheratzki Insurance Vice president at Ituran UBI TECHNOLOGIES FOR MOTOR INSURANCE ‏ • Ituran Safety system gathers data on the behavior of the person driving the vehicle and assists in improving driving quality and safety • Insurance companies will be able to identify careful drivers and “tailor” smart and economical policies for them Continued on page 33