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Bluesona announces partnership with German technology provider
Bluesona Brings Telematics Plug from Bosch into the Loop
Bluesona, the Northern Ireland based company, is delighted to announce its strategic partnership with Bosch Connected Devices and Solutions. Bosch Connected Devices and Solutions is a fully owned subsidiary from Robert Bosch GmbH and is a globally leading sensor-device provider. The combination of Bluesona’s innovative distracted driving App ‘Loop’ and Bosch’s Telematics Plug will provide insurance companies with a comprehensive data-driven solution, ‘LoopMatics©’. It will enable them to improve their risk management, provide more tailored and cost effective policies and services to their customers and facilitate their move to Usage Based Insurance (UBI). As a result it will help to improve road safety.
Mel Morrison, Bluesona CEO said, “This partnership with Bosch is testimony to the quality of our products and technology, the benefits they can deliver to insurance companies and to safer driving generally. Our combined offering will provide the most comprehensive vehicle telematics solution currently available and the only one that solves the problem of distracted driving caused by mobile device usage.
“It is great to work together with Bluesona within telematics to create value for insurance companies and their customers. The integration of our Telematics Plug was a great milestone to initiate successful future projects.”
Dietrich Brunner, Global Sales Manager Insurance Industry
About Bluesona
Bluesona was formed to provide a smart software solution to the major and growing problem of distracted driving caused by mobile device usage. This is achieved via our Loop Product which is a combination of an easy to use App and our unique Smart Charger. More recently, we have introduced LoopMatics which provides detailed information on driving behaviour and style as well as on all journeys. This detailed data is combined with the distracted driving data and is made available to the insurance companies via a tailored Dashboard for each customer.
Loop and LoopMatics can be integrated with other specialist telematics products as well as to other insurance company systems. https://bluesona.co.uk/
About Bosch Connected Devices and Solutions
Bosch Connected Devices and Solutions is a fully owned subsidiary from Robert Bosch GmbH and is a globally leading sensor-device provider. They develop and market innovative connected devices and tailor-made solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) and telematics. Their competencies in electronics, sensor technology and software enable new business models for global markets.
More information can be found on their homepage: https://www.bosch-connectivity.com/
Protect insureds and seize the telematics market opportunity
In recent years, the growing field of telematics has been at the forefront of a collective response to address the motor casualty rates especially among young drivers. Recent research has also confirmed in a bid to fight dangers while driving, collisions, and fatality rates that telematics is here to stay.
Whilst inexperience and speed are factors to take into consideration in these rates, distracted driving through in-vehicular phone usage is a growing problem for not only young people but all age demographics. The IAM RoadSmart Driving Safety Culture Survey 2019 cites that 70% of UK motorists believe this is a bigger problem than the previous year.
This graph below confirms that telematics has had a positive impact on the casualty rates of young people, an encouraging prediction for more mature drivers.
Source: Lexus Nexus
Our smartphone-based solution Loop protects people, not just cars and Bluesona’s connected technology is founded upon an ideological shift from repair to prevention. We take aim at distracted driving, the number one cause of road accidents. we encourage habitual attentiveness and a change in road behaviour for the safety of everyone.
Insurers can observe vehicles in real-time to track journeys, monitor road behaviour and understand how drivers use their vehicles with our LoopMatics telematics solution.
The Global Telematics Solutions Market Analysis Report 2020 states that the global telematics solutions market is expected to reach £62.03 billion by 2026 growing at a CAGR of 16.9% from 2018 to 2026.
With 31.9 million licenced cars on the road in GB, 1.1 million in Northern Ireland and 2 million in Ireland there is a huge opportunity for the insurance industry to develop prepositions to take advantage of this cutting-edge telematics technology.
Insurers can capitalise on our powerful LoopMatics technology to connect with their clients, offer a solution to provide a proactive, preventative approach and make a real difference to the lives of their insureds.
RAC spotlights the road risks of young driver distraction
Getting behind the wheel drivers are faced with many potential distractions that can increase their risk of collision. With the increase in mobile phone ownership over recent years for all age demographics, its usage when driving for young drivers who are often inexperienced drivers already, all too often increases the risk of collision even more dramatically. The RAC’s Report on Motoring has highlighted the risk of distracted driving on our roads. The response from the 14 million motor owners surveyed shows their concern over handheld mobile phone usage as a significant distraction danger.
Source: RAC Report on Motoring 2019
Almost 10 million drivers admit that they make and received calls when driving on a handheld phone and alarmingly the rate for young drivers between the ages of 17-24 is 51% for those who make or receive calls in this manner at least occasionally. According to the RAC, motorists are concerned by incoming calls and notification distractions.
Source: RAC Report on Motoring 2019
The survey also highlights that the activities which cause even more risk due to even greater distraction is also a cause for concern with young drivers. Bluesona develops software and hardware that create a safer driving environment. Loop is a one of a kind solution to prevent distraction driving! Using a combination of advanced software systems as well as custom engineered patented smart charger to detect and deter distraction driving. Our “lock down” feature silences all notifications while the driver is in transit, allowing them to concentrate on their journey.
Find out more about how to solve the problem that is distracted driving
Bluesona’s technology could save lives on road
A new device designed by Bluesona company reduce fatalities on Ireland’s roads while also making it easier for young people to get insurance.
According to the Road Safety Authority, driver distraction accounts for up to a third of all road fatalities. And mobile phone use makes motorists four times more likely to crash.
But the ‘Loop’, a small piece of equipment designed by Bluesona, could change all that.
The brainchild of entrepreneurs Oliver Ferris, Denis Bourne and Mel Morrison, the Loop locks down all incoming calls and notifications to mobile phones, allowing the driver to give their full attention to the road in front of them. If the driver does pick up with their mobile device, the Loop captures the information with location, date, time and speed that the interaction took place.
The ultimate benefit is a reduction in crashes. But there is also a financial incentive, particularly for young drivers. The information collated by the Loop can be requested by insurance companies when considering quotes. If the feedback they receive from Bluesona is positive, it could lead to a discount in the cost of insurance.
The Loop was unveiled at the launch of the Garage Project on Tuesday night. An off-shoot of the Pro Social course, Garage is an innovative new project aimed at giving young people hands-on experience of a car before they get behind the wheel.
Co-designer of the Loop, Oliver Ferris, said Bluesona’s technology was about encouraging driver safety while also helping young people secure an insurance policy they can afford.
Mr Ferris said, “It is about driver awareness. Using the Loop, drivers can see that they used their phone and that it is an issue. The insurance company can then request the information from us and if they see you have not used your mobile device then they can reduce the premium. But if they see constant use they can increase the price or cut their cover altogether.”
Bluesona is in advanced talks with one of Ireland’s big insurance companies about factoring the Loop into their business. It will be available through insurers who will provide users with all the details they need.
Donegal County Council’s Road Safety Officer Brian O’Donnell said he was firmly behind the new technology.
Describing it as a ‘no brainer’, Mr O’Donnell said, “We have tried a number of things over the years, devices like a wallet that you put your phone in and it shuts off your signal. But this device will help make our roads distraction-free if people adopt the idea properly.
“If we can get it rolled out as part of an insurance package and young people buy into it to the point where it leads to cheaper insurance for them, then to me it is a no brainer.
“Driver distraction is a major problem and if this device helps overcome that distraction then I am behind it,” Mr O’Donnell added.
Author: Donegal News
Six-Figure Funding boost for Bluesona
Downpatrick-based software company Bluesona has received a six-figure investment to further develop its product offering.
The company has developed technology designed to reduce mobile phone usage while driving. The system – called Loop – was created by chief executive Mel Morrison when his daughter was learning to drive.
The funding has been secured from Co-Fund II and the Halo Business Angel Network (HBAN). The latter is a joint initiative of Enterprise Ireland, InterTradeIreland and Invest NI dedicated to the all-island promotion of business angel investment.
Morrison said: “We’ve spent 18 months researching and developing a product that we feel is superior to what is already on the market.
“Our app provides real time data to insurance companies and warns users when they try to use their phone.
“We’re aiming to double our staff numbers early next year and we’re in discussions with a number of insurance companies across the UK and US. The long-term goal is to reduce road traffic collisions but also to reduce consumers’ insurance premiums.”
Morrison hopes to start a new funding round next year to raise £1m to help take the brand worldwide.
Claudine Owens, HBAN business angel forum manager, added: “Bluesona is an innovative, forward-thinking business that is tackling one of the biggest issues of road safety.
“The HBAN Forum events create new opportunities for companies like this to gain investment and access to a pool of expertise that can greatly benefit their business.”
Author: Matthew Ord, Senior Digital Staff Writer, Insider Media Ltd
