App for lodging accident claims directly with the insurer unveiled
Insurance lobby Association of Kenya Insurance (AKI) has launched a mobile platform for filing accident claims to help reduce settlement to within two months and cut back on fraud.
The application with geolocation features will allow users to upload videos and photos from the scene of the accident together with police abstracts, a copy of their ID card, and their driving license.
This will prompt speedy claims while eliminating instances of fraud where motorists would collude with the police to alter the circumstances of an accident.
The Claims Registration Application (CRA), which is available on smartphones and USD will help make prompt reports of accidents and filing claims and will require registration of the insured customer, the vehicle, and any other driver of the vehicle.
AKI says it has signed up 36 motor underwriters and is working together with insurance companies to have it as the main claims reporting channel.
“Currently the Insurance Laws provide for 90 days of settling claims. We anticipate that with the technology this can be hastened as there will be immediate initiation once the accident is reported and the documents uploaded on the App will be accessible and retrievable,” said Mr Tom Gichuhi in an emailed response.
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“For now we will work within the stipulated timelines, however, we anticipate that this timeline can be reduced to 60 days and below,” he said.
Motor insurance, both commercial and private, accounts for about 35 percent of the total general insurance premium.
However, the sector is plagued with fraud, estimated at 30 percent of all motor vehicle claims, which coupled with other issues such as pricing and management expenses, contribute significantly to the loss-making nature of the business.
AKI said its members are turning to technology to fix this, running ran a pilot test three months ago which has proven CRA that will ease the process of reporting motor insurance claims for customers.
In the event of a serious accident, the application can also provide contacts of the nearest ambulance, hospital, or towing services and notify their next of kin about the accident.
All this information is relayed to the insurance company to initiate the claims process. Customers will receive progress reports of their claims via the App.
“The system has several features including insurance status verification at the point of registration, Geolocating the accident scene, picture and video capture of the accident, users can dial a service provider such as ambulance or towing service and one can get notifications on the claims process,” Mr Gichuhi said.
