Hybrid Model-Based Automated Exterior Vehicle Damage Assessment and Severity Estimation for Insurance Operations

Abstract

After a vehicle accident, insurance companies face the critical task of assessing the damage sustained by the involved vehicles, a process essential for maintaining the insurer's credibility, building consumer trust, and meeting legal and ethical obligations. This assessment is crucial for ensuring clients' financial protection and proper compensation, upholding the integrity of the insurance process. Traditionally, evaluations have been conducted through manual inspections by experienced professionals who meticulously document vehicle damage. Despite its thoroughness, this approach suffers from significant inefficiencies, high costs, and extended time requirements. Moreover, the method is vulnerable to human errors and subjective biases, which can result in inflated valuations. To overcome these challenges, this research introduces an innovative system designed to leverage technology for analyzing images of damaged vehicles uploaded by the user. This system aims to accurately identify the damaged external components, assess the severity of the damage, and determine the repair needs based on the compromised sections of the vehicle. The findings reveal that the hybrid model used in this research is capable of determining vehicle damage severity with an overall accuracy of 73.3%. This level of accuracy demonstrates the model's robust capability to effectively navigate and analyze complex damage patterns, underscoring its practical applications. By accurately determining damage levels on the first assessment, the model reduces the need for further assessments and disagreements, which frequently cause claim delays. This enhancement increases productivity, reduces administrative costs, and improves the customer experience, resulting in a more efficient, transparent, and satisfactory resolution of vehicle insurance claims.