Road segment safety rating system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10096038-B2
Application number	US-201615015623-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2016
Priority date	May 10, 2007
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

Methods, computer-readable media, systems and apparatuses for determining a safest road segment for traveling between a first location and a second location are provided. In some cases, the road segment safety rating may be determined for a plurality of road segments between the first location and the second location based on historical data associated with the road segments (e.g., accident history data, traffic volume data, etc.) and/or based on driving behavior data of the operator of the vehicle. An indication of the road segment determined as being the safest may be provided to the operator of the vehicle. An actual route of travel of the vehicle can be captured and compared to the safest route. If the vehicle has traveled the safest route, the operator may earn an award. If not, the operator may be notified that an award may be earned when an indicated safest route is traveled.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile device comprising:
at least one processor;
at least one network interface;
at least one display screen; and
at least one non-transitory memory device storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to:
receive, via a first user interface presented by the at least one display screen, input identifying a first location located along a current road segment being traveled by a vehicle;
while the vehicle is traveling on the current road segment, determine, at the mobile device, a plurality of road segments located between the first location and a second location corresponding to a current location of the vehicle, the plurality of road segments comprising a first series of road segments and a second series of road segments, the first series of road segments corresponding to a first route between the first location and the second location, and the second series of road segments corresponding to a second route between the first location and the second location different from the first route;
while the vehicle is traveling on the current road segment, receive, at the mobile device, from at least one sensor arranged on the vehicle, driving data associated with operation of the vehicle, the driving data comprising speed data, acceleration data, braking data, and turning data;
while the vehicle is traveling on the current road segment, analyze, at the mobile device, the driving data received from the at least one sensor arranged on the vehicle to determine at least one driving behavior of an operator of the vehicle comprising one or more of a speed limit observation behavior of the operator of the vehicle, a speed relative to other drivers behavior of the operator of the vehicle, a braking distance behavior of the operator of the vehicle, or a following distance behavior of the operator of the vehicle;
while the vehicle is traveling on the current road segment, transmit, from the mobile device, to a remote server, the at least one driving behavior of the operator of the vehicle determined from analyzing the driving data received from the at least one sensor arranged on the vehicle at the mobile device;
while the vehicle is traveling on the current road segment, transmit, from the mobile device, to the remote server, location information identifying the plurality of road segments located between the first location and the second location;
while the vehicle is traveling on the current road segment, receive, at the mobile device, from the remote server, historical accident data associated with the plurality of road segments located between the first location and the second location;
while the vehicle is traveling on the current road segment, receive, at the mobile device, from the remote server, traffic volume data associated with the plurality of road segments located between the first location and the second location;
while the vehicle is traveling on the current road segment, determine, at the mobile device, based on the historical accident data received from the remote server, the traffic volume data received from the remote server, the at least one driving behavior of the operator of the vehicle determined from analyzing the driving data received from the at least one sensor arranged on the vehicle at the mobile device, and a direction of travel of the vehicle through each road segment of the plurality of road segments located between the first location and the second location, a safety rating for each road segment of the plurality of road segments located between the first location and the second location;
while the vehicle is traveling on the current road segment, provide, via a second user interface presented by the at least one display screen to the operator of the vehicle, an indication of a safest road segment in the first series of road segments corresponding to the first route between the first location and the second location or in the second series of road segments corresponding to the second route between the first location and the second location based on determining the safety rating for each road segment of the plurality of road segments located between the first location and the second location;
determine that the vehicle is beginning to travel along a new route corresponding to the safest road segment; and
based on determining that the vehicle is beginning to travel along the new route corresponding to the safest road segment, cause an insurance discount to be provided to the operator of the vehicle while the vehicle is traveling on the new route corresponding to the safest road segment.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 , comprising:
a location detection unit configured to provide, to the at least one processor, data indicative of the current location of the vehicle.

3. The mobile device of claim 2 , wherein the location detection unit comprises one or more of a mobile location tracking device or a global positioning satellite unit.

4. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the first location corresponds to an end location of the first route and the second route and the second location corresponds to a start location of the first route and the second route.

5. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device stores additional computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to:
receive, at the mobile device, from the remote server, data identifying an award to be earned by the operator of the vehicle upon confirmation that the operator of the vehicle traveled a safest route segment identified in the indication of the safest road segment provided via the second user interface presented by the at least one display screen; and
provide, via a third user interface presented by the at least one display screen, an indication identifying the award to be earned by the operator of the vehicle upon confirmation that the operator of the vehicle traveled the safest route segment.

6. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one non-transitory memory device stores additional computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the mobile device to:
receive, from a location detection unit, data identifying a plurality of locations of the vehicle associated with the vehicle traveling to the first location from the second location;
determine, based on the data identifying the plurality of locations received from the location detection unit, whether the vehicle traveled along a safest route between the first location from the second location; and
based on determining that the vehicle traveled along the safest route between the first location from the second location, provide, via a third user interface presented by the at least one display screen, an indication that an award has been earned by the operator of the vehicle.

7. A method comprising:
at a mobile device comprising at least one processor, at least one network interface, at least one display screen, and at least one non-transitory memory device:
receiving, by the at least one processor, via a first user interface presented by the at least one display screen, input identifying a first location located along a current road segment being traveled by a vehicle;
while the vehicle is traveling on the current road segment, determining, by the at least one processor, at the mobile device, a plurality of road segments located between the first location and a second location corresponding to a current location of the vehicle, the plurality of road segments comprising a first series of road segments and a second series of road segments, the first series of road segments corresponding to a firs

Assignees

• Allstate Insurance Co

Inventors

• Ramirez Philip Peter
• Otten Derek
• Ferguson Dana
• Jordan Peters Julie A
• Madigan Regina
• Mckenna Thomas

Classifications

• G06Q40/08

  Insurance · CPC title

• G06Q30/0207

  Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates · CPC title

• G06Q10/0635

  Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities · CPC title

• G06Q30/0224 Primary

  based on user history · CPC title

• G06Q10/04

  Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" (market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202) · CPC title