ISO Introduces Solutions for Insuring Vehicles With Driver Assistance Features

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey, March 25 -- Insurance Services Office, a subsidiary of Verisk Analytics, issued the following news release:

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- New policy manual rule and rating factors account for effect of advanced driver assistance systems

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ISO has introduced new solutions to help auto insurers underwrite and price coverage for the growing number of cars with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). ISO is a Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) business and a leading provider of forms, rules, and rating information for the property/casualty insurance industry.

"Over the years, we've seen an increase in vehicle safety technology, such as blind spot intervention, lane departure prevention, and forward collision warning," said Jared Smollik, vice president of personal lines actuarial and analytic products at ISO. "Our new rule and rating factors will help insurers apply real-world experience with this technology in support of actuarially sound risk selection and pricing."

The new solutions include a manual rule and related rating factors for the ISO Personal Auto Program. The rating factors are based on an in-depth actuarial analysis that included a review of loss data reported through the ISO Personal Auto Statistical Plan.

A key finding of the analysis showed that ADAS features have reduced accident frequency, but the effect is somewhat offset by the expense of repairing vehicles with ADAS technology after an accident.

"ISO currently expects collision experience to improve with time as more vehicles with ADAS features hit the road and frequency of accidents continues to drop," continued Smollik. "Meanwhile, as these features become more common, economies of scale in producing associated sensors and other parts may reduce their cost."

To complement the release of the new rating factor, Verisk also offers VINMASTER(R) -VINterpret Safety. It provides electronic delivery of ADAS information using a 10-digit vehicle identification number (VIN), helping insurers determine which vehicles have certain ADAS technology as standard or optional features.