Users with higher Socar driving scores have lower accident rates, data showed. Marking the first anniversary of its "Socar Driving Score" service launch, Socar on Jan. 16 released usage data from the past year. Model drivers scoring 90 or above had an accident rate 61 percent lower than drivers scoring 50 or below. The figure was also 25 percent lower than the average accident rate for all users.

The Socar driving score is an index that analyses all driving data during the rental period and converts it to a 100-point scale. It is calculated by grading driving information by category, including speeding, rapid acceleration, hard braking and unstable stopping. Socar built the score calculation system by training an AI model on accident and driving big data collected over about 10 years on its platform.

By category, the achievement rate for avoiding hard braking was the highest at 47.71 percent. The achievement rate for avoiding speeding was the lowest at 33.81 percent. Users who drove more safely used Socar more often. Drivers with scores of 90 or above used Socar 30 percent more per year than the overall membership, the data showed.

About 5 percent of all users improved their scores by 30 points or more from the start of service use. The average score by age group was highest among those in their 50s and older at 79.04 points. It was 78.82 points for those in their 40s, 76.64 points for those in their 30s and 71.29 points for those in their 20s. The data showed a tendency for older age groups to prefer safe driving.

Socar paid a total of 4.6 billion won worth of credits over the past year to users who joined safe-driving efforts. It pays up to 5,000 credits per use depending on driving scores and whether users achieved the evaluation items. The average payment per person was 5,245 credits. The user who received the most rewards accumulated a total of 650,000 credits.

Cho Sung-min, head of Socar's Data Intelligence Group, said data from the past year confirmed that driving scores have a positive effect not only on accident prevention but also on forming users' voluntary safe-driving habits. He said Socar will continue to enhance the scoring system and expand benefits to strengthen a virtuous cycle in which safety returns to users as benefits.