A Claim Estimate Before The Tow Truck Is Called

On a typical day, about 80,000 American drivers have accidents serious enough to warrant calling their insurers. After the initial shock comes a predictable sequence of worries: Was anyone hurt? Am I at fault?

The driver’s first call is often to the insurance company, which leads to the next questions: How long will it take to get an estimate, get my car into the shop and then get it back on the road?

The time it takes to settle auto insurance claims is being shortened, and the accuracy of initial estimates is improving, because U.S. insurers now use artificial intelligence to generate repair estimates.

The latest technology powered by A.I. is much different from the “virtual claim” you might have filed after your last fender-bender. About five years ago, photo-based estimates became increasingly common.

Insurance companies sometimes had customers download an app that helped them provide consistent photos, but some insurers just told customers to attach pictures to an email.