Introducing UBI in Malaysia
Following the liberalisation of motor insurance tariffs set to take effect on July 1, the insurance companies are expected to take into account a motorist’s driving history to calculate their Premiums. This includes several factors such as the age of the driver, age of vehicle, gender of driver, driver’s claim records and traffic violations record. This mechanism of calculating the premium is called “Usage-Based Insurance” or UBI.
However, it will be more accurate in understanding their profile if the above factors are calculated with the actual driving behavior of the driver. One of the ways to capture their driving pattern is via Internet of Things (IoT) whereby sensors are embedded into the car or the using driver’s smartphones. Basically, we will be able to capture the ABC of the driver i.e. A – acceleration, B – braking and C – cornering.
There’s a company in Malaysia, Katsana, has launched a smartphone application called “DriveMark” (Download from iOS App Store). I have been using for nearly 2 weeks and you can see my driving pattern below.
How will it benefit consumers?
- Promote safe driving culture
- Low-risk drivers enjoy lower premiums
- More options to suit one’s needs
- Get to shop for the best coverage and value
- Competitive prices in the long term
It is a welcome news for the IoT industry in Malaysia. The move towards usage-based insurance will help to spur the growth of IoT with connected cars which in return will help to introduce other IoT applications and benefits other industries.
About the Author
Dr. Mazlan Abbas is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of FAVORIOT Sdn Bhd. He is an IOT Evangelist and a Thought Leader. He received an award as 50 Most Impactful Smart Cities Leaders by World CSR 2017. He is ranked No. 20th Thought Leader in IOT by 2014 Onalytics Report – “The Internet of Things – Top 100 Thought Leaders”, ranked Top 10 in IoT Top 100 Influencers by Postscapes 2016/2017, ranked Top 100 in Smart Cities Top Experts by Agilience Authority Index May 2016. He is also a Global Vision Board Member. You can reach him on LinkedIn or Twitter. Check all his presentation slides HERE.