New Solution Aims to Reduce Accidents by Identifying Hotspots for Drivers

Accident Advisor is a new solution that aims to help drivers avoid collisions by steering clear of accident hotspots. The tool is the result of collaboration between TNEDICCA, a leader in traffic crash data and location risk analytics, and Ohio Mutual Insurance Group.

Powered by TNEDICCA’s proprietary crash database of more than 30 million crashes, Accident Advisor lets Ohio Mutual’s members identify local crash hotspots specific to their home and commuting area using a map. The hotspots are accurate because they are based on geographic location data linked to collisions from police reports.

The goal of the solution is to help policyholders stay safer on the road by either avoiding crash hotspots and/or exercising additional caution in these high-risk areas. Essentially, Accident Advisor is a unique solution for the auto insurance industry as it focuses on accident reduction versus the traditional approach of risk assessment.

Historically, insurance companies use location-based crash risk scores to assess risk and improve pricing models. Many carriers incorporate location risk through territories into their pricing. These territory definitions are usually derived from garaging addresses based on their own loss experience or though a consortium exchange of competitive loss data. Some sophisticated carriers may even use population density, proximity to high-traffic locations, and more to further refine rating territories into smaller geographical units.

The problem is that these sources and methods only paint a partial picture of high-risk crash areas because of limited access to industry-wide loss history. In addition, the nation’s roads and infrastructure are constantly changing — with some becoming safer while others become more prone to automotive crashes.

TNEDICCA has taken up the tedious task of collecting and curating detailed comprehensive crash data and has been focused on building crash risk scores based on geocoded crash locations that have not been available in the past. Accident Advisor uses this powerful crash data to empowers drivers, reduce risk on the road, and improve safety.

An estimated 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes nationwide in 2021 alone, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.