A virtual risk assessment for drivers intrigues big pharma company

Diagnostic Driving's mobile simulated driving assessment is the product of five years of research at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Research Institute.

Traffic accidents are huge cause of injuries and death, but if you look at it from the perspective of companies, they pose a big concern from an employer wellness perspective. They cost employers an estimated $60 billion each year, according to data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. That could be one reason a mobile tool that offers a risk assessment for drivers and a way to quantify crash risk among their employees has generated interest from the pharmaceutical industry which relies on fleets of salespeople to sell their products.

Merck recently piloted Diagnostic Driving’s tech, which is designed to identify leading indicators for crash risk and address them, such as distraction, aggressive behavior, impatience, poor skills, and inexperience. The mobile simulator is the product of five years of research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Research Institute.

Diagnostic Driving Co-Founder Venk Kandadai said at DreamIt Health’s demo day that its approach uses personalized coaching to hone in on areas where the driver needs improvement. It contrasts with current technologies, which tend to focus on the driver’s skills rather than their weaknesses.

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It uses a business to business, Software as a Service model. Its subscription fee is $300 per driver, per year.

If drivers can improve, they could reduce their insurance costs, which would improve cost savings for employers.

Photo: Flickr user flyzipper