Insurer develops unconventional way to reduce claims

An insurance company has developed an innovative solution that may put a halt to injury and death claims of this vulnerable demographic

Risk Management News

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A child pedestrian is injured or killed every three hours, and young Canadians are most at risk between the hours of 3:00pm and 6:00pm, when rush hour traffic coincides with the end of the school day, according to Parachute Canada. 
 
For this reason, If Insurance in Sweden has developed a radical new GPS system that has the potential to reduce these collisions and possibly even put a halt to child injury claims.
 
In an app called “Slow Down GPS,” the navigator’s voice switches to a child’s anytime the vehicle is in proximity of an area where youngsters may be present, including schools, parks and daycare centers, according to CBC News.
 
“We think of it as a subtle audio sign that says, ‘Children at play,’” the app’s creators said.
 
The designers hope that the child’s narration will elicit the caretaking instinct in drivers, who will then subconsciously slow down and drive more carefully.
 
“This is basic human functioning and psychological response, when you hear a child’s voice, that you react,” Mikael Hellman, head of marketing, If Insurance, told CBC.
 
The app’s developers began the process by speaking with school principals about when and where children are most vulnerable. The administrators all relayed that “distressed” parents typically drive aggressively in the morning and the late afternoons, which is why schools became a main focal point during its implementation. 
 
The app is currently only available in Sweden, Norway and Finland, although an online campaign may bring its expansion into other countries soon. In the meantime, Hellman encourages overseas insurers to prioritize children and implement this solution for their own clients. 
 
“We definitely welcome people to steal this idea from us,” Hellman said.

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