A vehicle strikes a building, and the claim moves forward as a driver liability matter. But does that explain the entire loss? As vehicle technology becomes more sophisticated, subrogation professionals have additional reasons to look beyond the initial accident report.
Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) include features such as automatic emergency braking and lane assistance. When a loss involves these systems, the investigation should consider whether their performance or a problem arising from previous repairs contributed to the damage. These questions can reveal potential recovery opportunities involving parties beyond the driver.
Start with the vehicle’s actual capabilities
Identify the equipment installed on the specific vehicle and determine what it was designed to do. A collision alone does not establish a technology failure. Qualified experts may be needed to evaluate system performance and its connection to the loss.
Protect the evidence early
Preserving the vehicle is essential, but electronic information also deserves attention. Relevant data may reside in several vehicle systems and require specialized extraction. Repair records can help establish whether earlier work damaged a sensor or affected its calibration. This is where NSS’s partnership with QuantivRisk supports the investigation. Through our Advanced Vehicle Technology Subrogation Program, QuantivRisk uses its CRASHVIEW technology to analyze available vehicle data and provide objective insight into driver actions and automated system behavior. NSS uses those findings to evaluate potential recovery claims, determine whether further investigation or expert involvement is warranted, and pursue responsible parties when the evidence supports doing so.
Build the recovery review into claim handling
The practical challenge is recognizing when a claim needs closer attention. Not every claim involving vehicle technology warrants an expensive technical investigation; the objective is to identify which claims merit additional investment. Intake questions and escalation procedures should help claims teams flag potential technology issues early enough for meaningful investigation. CRASHVIEW analysis can provide an early, data-driven assessment that helps NSS determine whether the available evidence supports further investigation or a potential recovery opportunity. That review can also extend to closed claims. NSS can review a defined group of files in which policyholders reported unusual vehicle technology behavior and refer appropriate claims for CRASHVIEW analysis to assess whether a recovery opportunity was overlooked.
Clear ownership matters throughout that process. Someone should be responsible for coordinating preservation, gathering records, and communicating the next decision to the carrier. An unresolved question has little value if it never reaches the person who can act on it.
Match the investigation to the opportunity
Technical investigations can be expensive. The severity of the property damage, available evidence, anticipated recovery, and expert costs should guide whether further pursuit is warranted. Objective vehicle-data analysis can help carriers and their subrogation partners make that decision before committing substantial resources to a deeper technical investigation.
For claims teams, the goal is not to turn every technology-related accident into a complex technical investigation. It is to identify the claims where objective vehicle data reveals a legitimate recovery opportunity and provide enough information to make an informed decision about what to do next. By combining QuantivRisk’s vehicle-data analysis with NSS’s subrogation expertise, the program creates a practical path from an unanswered question about vehicle behavior to an informed recovery decision.
