Drivers trade privacy for insurance discounts

[Christof]

(AP) -- For two months, Jacob Sevlie's insurance company tagged along whenever he slid behind the wheel of his Honda Accord.

An electronic monitor the size of a matchbook closely tracked Sevlie's driving time and behavior. If he had a heavy foot or was a sudden braker, the auto data recorder would betray him.

Disconnected from the car and hooked to a PC, the device relayed Sevlie's digital driving diary to his auto insurer, Progressive Corp., with the click of a mouse during a pilot program earlier this year.

Although privacy advocates say the gadget smacks of Big Brother, Sevlie signed up and sent monthly data in hopes of saving money on his insurance bill. In return, he got a $25 stipend and the promise of a 15 percent rate cut when the program launches.

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More can be found here.
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I find this kinda creepy. I hope we aren't forced to use something like this someday. :scared:

I definitely would NOT participate in something like this to get $25. You can't put a price on privacy.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Big Brother already here

in that businesses have such software on their company trucks to make sure that their workers are going where they are supposed to go. The software I saw advertised in a national pest control magazine was touted not only to record the routes taken but also driving habits (a selling point, according to the magazine; one pest control company was able to supply vindicating information when a tech was pulled over by a cop for speeding) and how long the truck was at each location-this would tell the boss how long a tech took to service a specific location.

Your post indidcates insurance companies have teamed up with software companies to use this on private vehicles.

[Christof]

2. So much for employer-employee trust, eh?

:( :grr:

[KT2000]

3. Oh Please...

this is no doubt the prequel to a new surcharge that will be levied against anyone who does not put one of these devices in their car.

Rates will no doubt be affected by the info on the digital driving diary for those who use them.

[Christof]

5. Exactly.

And Progressive claims that "It won't be used to increase rates if it reveals a customer with a lead foot."

That's utter BS. You know your rates will skyrocket if the device shows you speed and whatnot.

[DBoon]

4. Another argument for "pay at the pump"

You add a fee to the price of gasoline that pays into an insurance fund. That way everyone is covered. By ensuring universal coverage, the average cost per driver goes down (uninsured drivers cost the rest of us). The cost is proportional to the miles you drive.

This idea was raised in California a few years ago, but the opposition to something that looks like a "tax" killed it (I hate Howard Jarvis).

Instead, we have surveillance of your driving habits

[KT2000]

8. That is a great idea!

But it looks like corporations are running the country now and they will never give up their extorted money.

But that idea sure has some interesting benefits. It would encourage public transportation for one.

[tXr]

9. I would walk before I put one of those things on my car.

or I would take any form of public transportation!

[sally343434]

6. Already here

Semi-truck drivers frequently find these things in the rigs they drive. They refer to them as "tattlers." Some of them even have GPS domes on the roof of the cab.

As for private insurance, many companies have already begun to use unrelated factors to figure your premium. If you try to buy car insurance these days, chances are you will be required to allow the insurance company to do a credit check on you. In fact, this is becoming the dominating factor in determining coverage and premiums -- your credit report. A client of mine who has been in the insurance business for decades tells me that he is so disgusted about this practice, he doesn't bother writing new policies anymore.

[sasquatch]

7. The Insurance Industry is legalized extortion and racketeering

It is just like the mob if you don't pay up the mob will bust your ass into a million pieces. Instead of using goons they use police officers (which could be defined as a different goon) to bust your ass serving only the insurance company and only protecting their intrests. But once a major disaster happens in which the insurance company's are supposed to cover they will bail out and not pay.

BTW if you don't like what I posted about police officers you can just jump up my ass.