Progressive Insurance has introduced a new safety feature called Accident Response to connect policyholders with emergency or towing services.

The insurance company points out in a press release that the availability of the feature coincides with the upcoming winter season, when drivers face additional dangers on the road.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, 70% of U.S. roads are in snow-covered areas, which have conditions that impair vehicle maneuverability and increase the risk of accidents. Each year, more than 116,800 people are injured in vehicle accidents on snowy, slushy or icy roads, and nearly 76,000 are injured in accidents during snowfall or sleet.

“With driver safety and innovation at the core of Progressive’s offerings, Accident Response provides an additional layer of protection to private auto customers who use the Progressive app,” the press release said. “The optional feature in the app uses phone sensors to detect when a customer may have been in a serious accident.

“If an accident is detected, Progressive will contact the driver to determine whether assistance is required. The driver can then quickly and easily request emergency service or a tow truck via the app or a live agent. If they do not respond and the accident appears serious, emergency responders will be dispatched to the scene. When towing or emergency services are requested, Progressive automatically submits a claim on behalf of the customer.”

Accident Response is an optional Progressive App feature and there is no charge to download the app or use the Accident Response feature, according to the press release. Accident assistance is not available in all situations and is not currently offered in California.

The cost of services provided, such as ambulance or towing, is subject to coverage purchased under the customer’s personal automobile policy.

“At Progressive, security has always been at the forefront of our services and we develop new innovations with our customers’ needs in mind,” said Jim Haas, business manager of Personal Lines Telematics at Progressive, in the press release. “Accident Response provides peace of mind to Progressive customers by connecting them to the help they need after an accident and quickly beginning the process to get them back on the road.”

In November, Ryan McMahon, senior vice president of strategy and corporate development at Cambridge Mobile Telematics, said the same components that insurance companies use to assess individual risk could also be used to detect an accident. He and representatives from Auto Innovators and GM spoke during a Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit session at the 2024 SEMA Show.

“The insurance industry began to involve us in the accident detection process to then help them facilitate dialogue with the consumer,” he said. “What’s happening is a move to a world where you can be proactive rather than reactive because data is available. And for the insurance company it means significant savings. Insurers will continue to push in this direction because for them time is money, be it storage costs or rental costs.

“This crash assistance process and environment really opens the doors to building customer relationships that otherwise wouldn’t exist. And whether it’s an insurance company, a car manufacturer or another trusted brand, it’s now about the customer cutting through the complexity and finding something that’s much more tailored to them.”

From Auto Innovators’ perspective, Hilary Cain, senior vice president of policy, shared that automakers are focused on innovating in the areas of crash avoidance and vehicle crash recovery capabilities.

Much of the data collected from vehicles could help make consumers’ crash experiences more efficient and lead to better outcomes, she said.

Pictures

Featured Image: Progressive YouTube video screenshot of the incident response notifications

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