Ryan Mandell
Mitchell, An Enlyte Company汽车物理损害索赔执行董事
It has been a year since the United States and Canada first felt the effects of COVID-19. With states and provinces issuing stay-at-home orders that required residents to shelter in place, 汽车保险行业对此密切关注 索赔数量 shrink and 危险的驾驶习惯 grow. 仅仅三个月后, 现在判断2020年的事件会对2021年产生什么影响还为时过早. However, 通过回顾去年的主要趋势, carriers and collision repairers can successfully navigate an uncertain future and adapt to what will likely be a new post-pandemic normal.
大幅减少索赔频率
2020年3月，北美首次发布了“原地避难”指令， 道路变成了鬼城 and traffic-filled, hour-long commutes were replaced by quick trips on empty freeways. With fewer people driving, accident frequency declined dramatically, according to Mitchell data. 美国经历了42年.49% reduction in April 2020 compared to April 2019 and, during the same time period, Canada saw a 50.减少09%(图1). 尽管有不同地区的封锁要求, 自去年春天的低点以来，事故数量一直在稳步上升. 事实上，2020年12月的申请人数只减少了16%.美国是61%，美国是26%.与2019年12月相比，加拿大为46%. With a 航空旅行减少 以及其他形式的共享交通， 越来越多的人依赖自己的私家车 绕，绕，绕，绕 更快的索赔频率恢复 比许多人最初预测的要多. 
转移检验方法
Who could imagine a year ago that terms like “social distancing” would be incorporated into our daily lexicon? The need to stay apart because of the pandemic pushed businesses to quickly adapt to remote work. 这也迫使他们转向 消费者需求的变化 谁开始拥抱 数字技术 从未有过的. Thankfully, photo-based estimating—also known as virtual estimating—was already gaining traction. 当COVID-19爆发时, it was ready to take center stage as a way for the automotive insurance industry to safely perform appraisals. 今天，它被依赖于 提高效率，提高客户满意度，保护安全 通过限制面对面的互动来减少评估师和消费者之间的关系. In April 2020, Mitchell data shows that the percentage of estimates written using a virtual method of inspection grew to more than 13% in both the United States and Canada (up from 6% and 4% respectively in early 2020, 图2和3). These numbers have remained fairly consistent since the start of COVID-19 and there is no expectation that they will change post pandemic. 
零部件供应链面临的挑战
One of the greatest concerns in the beginning of the pandemic was the impact the spread of a potentially deadly virus would have on the parts supply chain. Many thought, 至少一开始是这样, that procuring parts would become a herculean task with production shutting down—weakening logistics capabilities and resulting in an overall decrease in demand. The reality is that the resiliency of the macro auto parts supply chain has been on full display since March 2020. 在美国, 零部件采购仍在继续，只是偶尔出现小问题, 根据Mitchell数据(图4). And many of the same parts selection trends witnessed over the past two years have endured with surprising regularity. 加拿大经历了更大程度的 OEM经销商 零件供应站 closures that resulted in a decline in the utilization of OEM parts beginning in April 2020 (Figure 5). With relatively little disruption to manufacturing and logistics in the aftermarket segment, 维修设施填补了缺口 在OEM供应链与售后市场零件和, thereby, 减少了车主和亚博真人官方版APP的潜在延误. 
消费者信心
Finally, 在过去一年的动荡中, 如果不提消费者信心的变化，那将是一种疏忽. 根据 2021年德勤全球汽车消费者研究报告, 83% of Americans (Deloitte does not segment Canadian data specifically) have either not altered their timeline for purchasing a new vehicle or have accelerated it. However, 8.8% of those surveyed indicated they would be more likely to purchase a less expensive vehicle than previously planned, 这与要求某种形式的 汽车贷款延期支付 in 2020 (10%). Even with 历史性的失业率 还有其他的 与大流行病有关的财政挑战在美国，消费者对汽车的需求短期内似乎很强劲. 然而，消费者对联网汽车的接受程度仍然很低，只有64%的美国消费者接受.S. respondents indicating they are concerned about hacking and threats to their personal safety should access to their automobiles be compromised. With personal vehicle ownership on the rise along with advancements in 5G connectivity, the safety of a vehicle’s data and digital infrastructure will become paramount to gaining consumer trust in the years ahead. While the effects of the pandemic have devastated industries including airlines and restaurants, 汽车保险行业的前景看起来更加光明. 尽管去年索赔数量有所减少, it’s clear that personal vehicle ownership and usage is more important than ever today. 尽管2020年带来了不确定性和变化, insurance carriers and collision repairers adapted to meet the needs of their customers and business partners. And there is no doubt that they will continue to do so, no matter what the future holds.