Allstate Rolls Out New Mobile Drive-In Inspection Center to Help Colorado Auto Customers after recent Hailstorm

New, state-of-the-art hail Mobile Assessment Center is latest tool in catastrophe response

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Jun 09, 2015, 02:30 ET

NORTHBROOK, Ill., June 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- When hailstorms strike, the dents and dings and damage left behind on a vehicle can be devastating to its owner. Allstate Insurance customers in the Denver area, which just experienced a hailstorm, will get to see Allstate's newest catastrophe response tool in action.

Allstate logo.

Allstate's National Catastrophe Team is deploying a Mobile Assessment Center (MAC), a giant, hail inspection center on wheels, filled with high-tech cameras that scan the vehicle, identify hail damage, and use software to calculate the dent count and severity of hail damage with increased speed and accuracy.

"Allstate is on the frontline in using this latest technology. The Mobile Assessment Center is going to elevate the way we take care of customers following a disaster," said Mark McGillivray, senior vice president, Allstate Claims. "The Mobile Assessment Center allows for an almost touchless process for evaluating damages, settling claims, and getting customers back on the road as quickly as possible."

The Mobile Assessment Center is currently located in the Home Depot parking lot at 11111 South Parker Road in Parker, Colo., and opened this week from Tuesday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Inspections are handled by appointment only. Allstate customers with damage can file a claim by contacting their Allstate agent, calling 1-800-54-STORM (1-800-547-8676), or logging on to Allstate.com.

The Mobile Assessment Center (MAC) is a state-of-the-art diagnostic tool that uses a sophisticated photo mapping software to determine the number of dents and the severity of the damage to each panel on a vehicle. Vehicles are driven into the MAC hail unit and the damage is assessed in a matter of minutes. The system then compiles the information and provides a detailed report which is used by adjusters to complete a claim.

Allstate catastrophe personnel first tested this technology in 2014, following a hail event in South Carolina. The initial test produced positive results showing accuracy in identifying and measuring vehicle hail damage.

"In May of 2014 Allstate was first to begin field testing a new damage analysis concept for hail, and just deployed a first of its kind mobile unit to Colorado to serve customers," said Michael Morrison, president, Catastrophe Solutions International.

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, protecting approximately 16 million households from life's uncertainties through auto, home, life and other insurance offered through its Allstate, Esurance, Encompass and Answer Financial brand names. Allstate is widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate^®." The Allstate brand's network of small businesses offers auto, home, life and retirement products and services to customers in the United States and Canada. In 2014, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate, its employees and agency owners gave $34 million to support local communities. Allstate employees and agency owners donated 200,000 hours of service across the country.