8 Billion Data Points from More Than 3 Million Vehicles Analyzed, Revealing Correlation
IRVINE, Calif., April 23, 2020—Spireon, the vehicle intelligence company, today revealed an analysis of proprietary driving data that signals a strong causality between increased driving that has occurred following stay-at-home orders and on major holidays and increase in COVID-19 cases both at the state and national level. Specifically, Spireon data show that 10-14 days after recent spikes in driving activity, there have been notable upticks in the number of reported cases of COVID-19.
This timeframe mirrors the incubation period of the virus, with the data serving as another proof point that surges in public mobility lead to an escalation of viral infections.
“As the coronavirus pandemic is sweeping across the nation, claiming the lives of thousands of Americans and causing disruption across industries, analysis of Spireon data shows clearly that having more vehicles on the road has negative implication for the spread of the virus,” stressed Spireon CEO Kevin Weiss. “The correlation between more driving activity and new cases of the virus further substantiates the importance of social distancing and isolation. We want these findings to serve as an important public service announcement: Stay home. Save lives.”
Spireon gathered and analyzed eight million data points nationwide, studying the driving activity of over three million vehicles starting March 1, to understand the relationship between spikes in driving and growth in the number of COVID-19 cases.
An analysis of 1.1 million vehicles and 2.5 billion data points at the state level shows a significant increase in driving occurred immediately following the shelter-in-place order. Subsequently, approximately 10-14 days after the surge in driving, the number of reported COVID-19 cases also rose. The 10-14 day delay in infections matches the duration of COVID-19 incubation period, as outlined by the World Health Organization. Spireon data reveal a similar uptick in driving over Easter weekend, from Friday, April 10 to Sunday, April 12, which is expected to result in an increase of COVID-19 infections this week.
“As the largest aftermarket telematic supplier in the country after GM and Ford, Spireon’s data analysis team has unique visibility to a large volume of commercial and consumer driving data,” said Prem Haresh, senior vice president of software engineering at Spireon. “As COVID-19 has rapidly transformed American life, our team continues to analyze how state and federal order, major holidays and more are causing spikes in driving that leads to increase in viral infections.”
Spireon data also shows that reported COVID-19 cases notably dropped following a 40-50% downturn in driving activity at both the state and national level in late March. These findings support public health guidelines enforced during the pandemic and illustrate the strong causal relationship between mobility and increased infections.
About Spireon
Spireon, the vehicle intelligence company, is the leading provider of aftermarket telematics solutions in North America. By equipping cars, trucks, trailers and other mobile assets with GPS devices and sensors, Spireon turns any vehicle into a connected vehicle. Award-winning products GoldStar, Kahu and FleetLocate deliver 24×7 asset visibility and actionable insights to auto dealers, lenders, transportation companies, service fleet managers, rental car companies and consumers to increase safety and productivity, boost profits and protect assets. Spireon’s NSpire IoT platform powers all Spireon solutions, supporting nearly 4 million active subscribers and processing more than 1 billion data events each month. Learn more at www.spireon.com.
