CMT Unveils AI Powered Driving Assistance And Claims Tools

Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) has rolled out AI-powered Roadside Assistance alongside several other updates. The company states these enhancements aim to make telematics programs more beneficial, accessible, and user-friendly for drivers by broadening protection, speeding up claims, and boosting engagement.

AI Detects Roadside Issues

The new Roadside Assistance feature, according to a CMT press release, can detect when a driver pulls over due to vehicle problems like flat tires or mechanical failures.

"Telematics has traditionally been about pricing, crash detection, and claims efficiency, but that’s just the starting point," stated Hari Balakrishnan, CMT co-founder and chief technology officer, in the release. "We’re expanding the value of telematics by offering drivers more help, more often — whether it’s roadside assistance, hail alerts, crash support, or AI Total Loss. We’re making programs more consumer-friendly with devices like Tag+ that keep drivers connected, while also making it easier for our partners to deliver life-saving services and engage drivers."

Accelerating Total Loss Decisions

Many of these new features have undergone testing with both insurers and drivers. Notably, AI Total Loss has proven effective in helping insurers make total loss decisions in half the usual time.

CMT explained to Repairer Driven News, "We ran a pilot for AI Total Loss that matched incoming claims with our model’s predictions and compared them to the insurer’s final total loss decisions. The goal was to measure how accurately and early the model could identify total losses, before an adjuster reviewed the claim. In some cases, the model helped reduce the time to confirm a total loss from weeks to minutes."

During a 2024 session of the Society of Collision Repair Specialists (SCRS) OEM Collision Repair Technology Summit, Ryan McMahon, CMT’s senior vice president of strategy and corporate development, highlighted that a primary challenge in the insurance claims process in recent years has been finding ways to expedite it.

Proactive Insurance Through Data

"What happened was the insurance industry realized the technology that we were developing and that we work on, measures driving behavior," McMahon said. "The insurance industry started to pull us into the crash detection process to then help them facilitate an engagement with the consumer. What’s happening is this movement, because data is available, into a world where you can be proactive versus reactive. And for the insurance company, it means significant savings."

He added, "The insurers are going to continue to push in this direction because for them, time is directly money, whether that’s in storage costs or rental costs. This crash assistance process and environment is really opening up the doors to providing relationships with customers that otherwise wouldn’t be there. And whether that’s from an insurance company, from an automaker, from another trusted brand — it now involves that customer getting through the level of complexity into something that’s much more tailored to them."

Enhanced Crash Protection Features

CMT has now boosted its crash protections with a feature that operates without requiring phone location permissions on Android devices. When a crash is detected where a driver might need assistance, CMT sends a push notification to initiate the process of alerting emergency services with the vehicle's location.

Last year, CMT introduced a similar feature for iPhones by integrating Apple’s SafetyKit. The company mentioned that its crash signals are fed into CMT’s AI models, assisting insurers in expanding their crash response and digital claims coverage.

Streamlining Post-Crash Information

According to CMT, it can currently take up to 12 days from the date of loss for a vehicle to be declared a total loss. However, its AI Total Loss tool aims to make it easier and faster for drivers to gather necessary information after an accident.

Insurers can utilize telematics sensor data and AI photo analysis at the scene to confirm a total loss, thereby avoiding secondary tows and multiple service visits, CMT noted.

CMT’s Crash Timeline Visualization also offers claims teams "a clear, interactive view of the event," to support faster and more accurate decisions, as per the release.

"It can be hard for an adjuster to get a clear view of what happened in a crash from a phone call," CMT told RDN. "CMT’s Crash Timeline Visualization shows a detailed sequence of driving events leading up to the crash, including hard braking, cornering, acceleration, and more. It also identifies the moment of impact and what happened immediately after. The timeline is interactive, allowing adjusters to zoom in on specific events to see the exact sequence and timing for a clearer, data-backed view of the crash."

Boosting Driver Engagement and Retention

CMT has also launched Tag+, an upgraded version of its flagship device. This device helps consumers stay connected to their safe driving program even when phone app permissions are turned off. In testing, Tag+ achieved a 98% driver retention rate, and CMT’s new messaging platform increased first-month driver retention by 18%.

"CMT’s research shows that engaged drivers are safer drivers," the release states. "To boost driver engagement, CMT has overhauled its messaging platform so insurers can launch engagement campaigns faster, personalize outreach, and reach drivers across channels. Insurers are already seeing results: a new milestone campaign increased retention by 19%, while enhancements to the welcome and crash messaging flows are driving higher engagement and stronger retention."

Addressing Weather-Related Damage

The company is also working to tackle hail damage claims. CMT reports that hail damage to vehicles costs between $8 billion and $14 billion annually, with repair costs per vehicle for moderate damage ranging from $5,000 to $8,000. Using local forecasts, CMT’s Hail Alerts deliver personalized warnings about severe weather to vehicle owners, giving them time to move their vehicles and potentially avoid expensive hail damage.

White-Label Solutions and Market Impact

Companies can now launch their own crash assistance programs with CMT’s assistance. Crash Assistance is fully available for white-label apps with a standardized "ready-to-deploy solution without any custom app development." CMT’s technology can also be deployed on mobile devices through a customer-built app.

An Insurify’s 2025 Digital Experience Index survey found that consumers’ trust and loyalty to their insurers diminish when they encounter poor claims experiences. The survey also revealed that 64% of consumers would consider switching insurers for a better digital experience.

Featured image provided by Cambridge Mobile Telematics