Sleeping on the job has never been a fast track to success, but sleeping on the way to the job may lead to an early and unscheduled retirement.
Executive Summary
There's no sound business reason why P/C insurers should cede all wellness opportunities to their life insurance counterparts, argues ISO's Jim Weiss, providing information on studies that link auto and workplace accident rates to sleep patterns, stress and body mass, among other wellness indicators. Wearable technologies and gene sequencing are just two of the information sources that could unlock this sleeping giant for risk assessment, he writes, also noting the need to use wellness data responsibly.More than 1 in 5 fatal car accidents in the United States involves a drowsy driver, according to a study last year by the AAA (American Automobile Association) Foundation for Traffic Safety. And yet sleeping patterns can be monitored at home with a variety of mobile apps and wearable technologies.
So why aren’t well-rested drivers sharing such information about their sleep patterns with insurers and potentially receiving discounts on their auto insurance?
One reason is that mobile tracking technology is still relatively new and unproven. Before offering any discounts, insurers would have to ascertain the accuracy and reliability of sleep-monitoring devices. They then would need to determine the duration and patterns of sleep that would significantly reduce the chances of an accident.
