San Francisco-based ACP Interactive recently announced that it has developed a BlackBerry application called InsPost that will allow for instant reporting of auto accidents, using voice, text, photos, and GPS to document every aspect of the accident. The application will also immediately start the claims process, right from the scene of the accident. It seems fairly easy to use, prompting the user through each step of the information gathering process. There are some pretty cool screen shots of the application here.
InsPost is not the first application of its kind, though it is the first for BlackBerry users. An application for the iPhone, created by Vurgood Apps, has been available since October 2008. The application is called iWrecked, and it has several features that InsPost does not. For instance, iWrecked will provide the insured with a list of taxi and towing company phone numbers with the touch of a button. It also has the ability to store the information for an unlimited number of vehicles, to provide local emergency numbers based on the user’s GPS location, as well as maps to be added to the accident report. Take a look at iWrecked here.
Both these applications speed up the claims process for the insured, while making sure the insurance carrier gets all the information they need. They also decrease the volume of calls to insurance companies’ call centers, and if widely used, could significantly decrease costs for those companies.
ACP says that their application is available for select BlackBerry phones now, and will also be available for the iPhone and the Google Android platform in the future. Despite InsPost being ready to go for the number one smart phone in the country, no insurance company has picked it up yet. iWrecked is not associated with any particular insurance company, but does allow for the accident report it creates to be sent directly from the application to your insurance company, or probably anyone else.
Several of the larger insurance carriers are developing their own applications, instead of relying on outside developers. With all this development, though, it’s clear there’s a market for immediate accident reporting, but which application will become the leader in that market remains to be seen. No matter which developer profits, the applications provide a way for all accident victims to have a reliable record of just what happened, and that’s a step in the right direction.
Andy Gillin received his Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and his law degree from the University of Chicago. He is the managing partner of GJEL Accident Attorneys and has written and lectured in the field of plaintiffs’ personal injury law for numerous organizations. Andy is a highly recognized wrongful death lawyer in California.