Fortune General Insurance (FGen) urged regulators on Monday to make mandatory the use of dashboard cameras or dashcams in motor vehicles to speed up and simplify insurance-claim processing.
FGen reiterated the importance of taking advantage of advances made in technology and gadgets to help optimize insurance-claims processing acknowledged to be prone to inefficiencies and even corruption among law-enforcement officials and sometimes insurance executives.
FGen has since begun offering a 10-percent discount on their motor-vehicle insurance products to encourage the use of dashcams by clients.
“FGen was among the firsts to offer a discount for motorists with dashcams, but we need to do more for the benefit of our customers,” FGen President Michael F. Rellosa said.
The call to make dashcams mandatory and encourage greater use was made during the nonlife-insurance industry forum hosted by the Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association (Pira) at Blue Leaf Filipinas in Parañaque City.
In that forum, dashcams are very useful tools in claims processing compared to mere police sketches and reports.
“There’s so much room for extortion with police sketches and police reports; there’s so much room for inefficiency,” said James Deakin, a popular motorist advocate.
Over 200 nonlife-insurance industry officials heeded his call and resolved to simplify claims documentation by allowing the use of dashcam videos and on-site pictures sent digitally to insurers.
FGen has a head start in promoting the technology as it has offered dashcam discounts since early this year.
“We are continuing to lead the insurance industry in the promotion of technology that benefit customers and insurers,” Rellosa said.
According to Antonio Roderick B. Cabusao, a member of Pira’s public relations and education committee, the use of dashcams or the improvement in claims form should be strengthened for insurance-claims purposes.
“Either the dashcam or the claims form. But it’s better if the dashcam is used. The claims form can be tampered with, but the dashcam is actual,” Cabusao said.
He also added the use of dashcams in place of photos or police reports have yet to be standardized in the insurance industry.
“That is why [Deaken] is proposing to use technology for claims purposes,” he said.