The Cobra WhiTe PaPer - Cobra Proves iTself as The TelemaTiCs ParTner for The insuranCe indusTry

www.cobratelematics.co.uk

Cobra recently tested its insurance telematics in one of the harshest environments possible. It was fitted to a Citroen rally car for three days whilst it competed in the Ulster Rally where the data downloaded via GPRS during the rally showed G force recordings of up to 13G and speeds in excess of 110mph all on narrow bumpy country roads.

The idea was to showcase how Cobra’s Telematics ‘black box’ records all aspects of a car’s journey for use by insurance companies to track driving behaviour and re-evaluate risk, with Cobra’s event recorder technology providing a virtual witness in the event of an accident.

The Cobra technology survived the ordeal and the car driven by Keith Cronin and co-driver Marshall Clarke won the rally.

To put the quality and granularity of data further into perspective Cobra has released information based on one major incident during the rally.

The data recording is automatic but the system was set to record major incidents where forces more than 2G are highlighted and a full ‘Incident’ report in PDF form is automatically generated.

daTa CaPTure TesTed To The exTreme in reCenT ulsTer rally - 13G and 120mPh

With the number of fraudulent motor insurance claims rising since 2010 and the value of claims recently announced at £541m by the ABI, the problems

experienced by insurers on bogus claims is becoming ever more complex and costly. Add to that the need for greater detailed transparency when a real accident occurs, then Cobra UK’s insurance telematics is in ever higher demand by the insurance industry.

Case sTudy 1 - Cobra’s insuranCe TelemaTiCs Go on a Car rally

Explanation of Fig. 1:

Detailed information on the ‘crash’ incident is recorded in real time jointly by the GPS/Event Recorder system which examines exactly where the vehicle was and its speed when it happened. The accelerometer measures the forces on all 3 axes hence severity of impact.

This part of the report summarises the vehicle incident and the driver’s behaviour. It notes precisely where the incident was, including a handy Google map reference, the vehicle type, registration number and VIN, the speed and time of the incident and a brief interpretation of the type and severity of the incident.

Fig. 1

Explanation of Fig. 2:

Pictorial evidence courtesy of Google provides a useful reference tracking the car’s behaviour 20 seconds before and 15 seconds after the incident.

Fig. 2

Explanation of Fig. 3:

Fig 3 puts the speed before, during and after the incident. The red line shows the exact incident time and speed. In this case the rally car kept moving, which indicates it hit a heavy bump in the road, took off and on landing experienced a 2G+ impact.

Fig. 3

Explanation of Fig. 4

The accelerometer generates a great deal of information based on the lateral and longitudinal acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle using the X and Y axes. The X axis shows the plus and minus force in the direction of travel of the car while the Y axis looks at the side to side movement during the incident. The Z axis reading represents the upward or downward force of the impact. This records the force of the impact and allows insurers to assess the severity of an incident and where the acceleration and deceleration took place on the car and the speed.

Fig. 4

Fig. 5a

Fig. 5b

Explanation of Fig. 5a and Fig. 5b:

The G force and time before and after the incident are shown in graph form which further brings the movement of the car on the X, Y and Z axes to life. In this incident the Z reading is most dramatic suggesting that the car has hit a bump, gone airborne and on landing has recorded a major G force impact.

Fig. 6

Explanation of Fig. 6:

A 35 second recording of the incident in table format including second by second speeds and the name and type of road where the incident was happening is also provided.

When a real life incident occurs it is important to see all levels of data surrounding the incident, particularly if there are no witnesses or if ultimately it has been caused by a third party or if it involves a bogus driver.

Explanation of Fig. 7:

Page one of the report shows that in this case a strong impact (greater than 1.3 G) occurred and that the incident point happened at a speed of 30km/h.

Case sTudy 2 – Cobra’s insuranCe TelemaTiCs in a real life inCidenT

daTa CaPTure on real road CondiTions

Fig. 7

Explanation of Fig. 8:

Vehicle behaviour differs greatly from the equivalent rally car graph in that the report shows the vehicle coming to an abrupt halt directly after the incident.

Explanation of Fig. 9a and Fig. 9b:

A greater idea of the type of impact that the car suffered is given. The negative X axis reading shows that the car experienced a high forward deceleration; there was also some rotation of the vehicle on impact while the Z axis showed that the car suffered both upward and downward movement until it came to rest.

Cobra’s black box technology has received the ultimate endorsement for robust automotive build and design qualities. Surviving a brutal weekend of rallying in the winning car underlines the systems’ ability to withstand whatever the elements may throw at it.

Given the rally car was driven much harder and more aggressive than would ever be possible on British roads (as shown by G Force spikes of up to 13G), it shows the Cobra Telematics system would comfortably survive in the hands of the average British motorist.

summary

More importantly it can provide the insurance industry with a depth of raw data that will help provide support and assistance in whatever claim, real or bogus which is being pursued. It could make spurious third party whiplash claims a thing of the past.

Cobra is helping to promote a new level of transparency that will help manage risk and encourage clarity and fairness across the industry.

Fig. 8

Fig. 9a

Fig. 9b

If you are interested in insurance telematics from Cobra, please contact us:

info@cobratelematics.com