Get connected and drive safely

Convenient, secure and environmentally friendly: connected mobility promises to do a world of good and took center stage at the fourth Allianz Auto Day. Manfred Knof, Chairman of the Board of Management of Allianz Deutschland, called for fair access to vehicle data for all market participants.

 

The driver behind the wheel of the VW Golf steps on the accelerator and speeds directly towards a BMW standing right across the motorway. It's almost too painful to watch. The Golf then crashes into the BMW, on the driver's side. The door is dented, the BMW driver squashed. The rest happens in a flash: The Golf driver's smartphone automatically dials the number of the emergency call center. A lady asks whether anyone is injured and whether the location information transmitted is correct. She then alerts an ambulance, which makes its way to the courtyard of the Allianz Center for Technology in Ismaning, Germany, its siren blaring, just moments later. Four paramedics leap out of the vehicle, drag the life-size dummy out of the BMW and secure a soft collar around its neck. The injured party is a crash test dummy, the driver - a stuntman.

Incidentally, the life-saving phone call made after the crash test was genuine and not arranged. However, the fact that the ambulance got there so quickly wasn't a coincidence. Paramedics are always on hand during events at the Allianz Center for Technology.
Incidentally, the life-saving phone call made after the crash test was genuine and not arranged. However, the fact that the ambulance got there so quickly wasn't a coincidence. Paramedics are always on hand during events at the Allianz Center for Technology.

A tiny connector with a whole lot of impact, and getting money back for driving safely
 
The crash test at the Auto Day served as an opportunity for Allianz to present a live demonstration of its new product, "SchutzbriefNotruf" (emergency phone call as part of breakdown assistance cover), to representatives from the media and the automotive industry for the first time. The innovation's most important function: it calls for help when the driver is no longer capable of doing so. This is done with the help of an accident report connector in the car cigarette lighter, which has built-in crash sensors. The connector communicates with an accident report app on the driver's smartphone using Bluetooth. Another new addition are the telematics insurance rates. One of the rates is offered in cooperation with Opel and sees the data be transmitted directly from the vehicle. The other is Allianz' own telematics component: "BonusDrive" lets young drivers aged 28 and under save up to 40 percent on their annual premium in the first twelve months, and up to 30 percent after that, provided they demonstrate anticipatory and careful driving behavior. An app gives drivers real-time insights into their personal driving behavior. After each journey, drivers receive feedback on their accelerating and braking patterns, their speed and cornering. Allianz expects up to 25,000 customers to opt for this new and innovative rate in the first year.

A lifesaver in your car cigarette lighter: calls for help when the driver is no longer capable of doing so.
A lifesaver in your car cigarette lighter: calls for help when the driver is no longer capable of doing so.

The guiding principle of this Auto Day has been the connected car motto, which has other components in addition to the new product launch. This approach results in new and innovative products being introduced for use on both the inside and outside of the vehicle. This is why representatives from the automotive industry and from Allianz, suppliers and politicians came together at the Allianz Center for Technology to join in a discussion. The thing they were all interested in: the impact that connected cars have on vehicle safety, the flow of traffic and traffic participants travelling by non-automotive means. First insight of the day: Manfred Knof set the record straight, explaining that customers have authority over their data. Customers are the ones deciding who has access to their data, for which purpose and subject to what conditions. "As part of our new telematics insurance solutions, we have taken care to ensure that our customers receive extensive information and know what happens to their data, as early as when they take the policy out", said Manfred Knof.

"In the future, it would be conceivable, for example, for a driver to receive a warning as soon as he enters a location we have identified as an accident hot spot", said Manfred Knof, Chairman of the Board of Management of Allianz Deutschland-AG.
"In the future, it would be conceivable, for example, for a driver to receive a warning as soon as he enters a location we have identified as an accident hot spot", said Manfred Knof, Chairman of the Board of Management of Allianz Deutschland-AG.

Fair competition for vehicle data
 
Insight number two: Chairman of the Board of Management of Allianz Deutschland called for fair access to vehicle data for all market participants. "Allianz favors a standardized approach which offers all those involved a uniform framework for data access. This ensures fair competition conditions and guarantees that the customer has the freedom to choose", said Manfred Knof. Still, a lot of questions remain unanswered as far as connected mobility is concerned, for example the legislative side of things. To date there is a lack of both statutory provisions for data access and standardized interfaces. This is where the politicians come in and why Dorothee Bär, state secretary to the German Minister for Traffic and Digital Infrastructure, offered the following explanation at the Auto Day: "Germany is a country of sceptics when it comes to automated driving. In our opinion, however, opportunities outweigh the risks." The next step is to convince the customers, the German drivers, that this is, in fact, the case.

They've already tested BonusDrive: team secretary Julia Kaltenegger (left), 20, and temporary student employee Pia Negro (right), 27. "Since then, my driving has become more anticipatory", says Negro.
They've already tested BonusDrive: team secretary Julia Kaltenegger (left), 20, and temporary student employee Pia Negro (right), 27. "Since then, my driving has become more anticipatory", says Negro.

The third insight was provided by Manfred Knof when answering the following question: Who would be liable if a car driving in highly automated mode collided with another traffic participant of its own accord? "In Germany, the person responsible is always the owner of the vehicle, regardless of whether the error occurred because of him or because of the vehicle itself", said Manfred Knof. That cleared things up. Based on present knowledge, the German liability system is fully sufficient and well-suited to becoming a model for the rest of Europe. Still, how do you check whether a product error has actually occurred? In this scenario, a possible approach would be to install a standardized accident recording device in vehicles with the purpose of reconstructing accidents.
 
Politicians, insurers and car manufacturers believe connected driving has a future
 
The discussion during the Auto Day showed that there is one thing that representatives of Audi, Opel and NXP, a chip manufacturer, agree on: connectivity means change is in the offing for the world of driving in the next five years, change more drastic than anything it has experienced in the last 50 years.
 
 
Text: Stephanie Beutel

"The opportunities outweigh the risks", said state secretary Dorothee Bär when asked about connected cars.
"The opportunities outweigh the risks", said state secretary Dorothee Bär when asked about connected cars.

As with all content published on this site, these statements are subject to our Forward Looking Statement disclaimer:

 

Bettina Sattler
Allianz Group
Phone +49.89.3800-16048
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