Automakers may be sharing your driving habits with Insurance Companies
 

There is a article in today's NY Times talking about how your driving data is being shared with insurance companies. Yes it is behind a pay wall.

Automakers Are Sharing Consumers’ Driving Behavior With Insurance Companies - The New York Times

An excerpt

"Mr. Dahl, 65, was surprised in 2022 when the cost of his car insurance jumped by 21 percent. Quotes from other insurance companies were also high. One insurance agent told him his LexisNexis report was a factor.

LexisNexis is a New York-based global data broker with a “Risk Solutions” division that caters to the auto insurance industry and has traditionally kept tabs on car accidents and tickets. Upon Mr. Dahl’s request, LexisNexis sent him a 258-page “consumer disclosure report,” which it must provide per the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

What it contained stunned him: more than 130 pages detailing each time he or his wife had driven the Bolt over the previous six months. It included the dates of 640 trips, their start and end times, the distance driven and an accounting of any speeding, hard braking or sharp accelerations. The only thing it didn’t have is where they had driven the car."

If you have Onstar or similar system, big brother is watching!

Nothing new here. 'Black box' technology has been standard in most vehicles for years. One of the major insurance companies has advertised a plug in for its customers that allows them to track in lieu of potential premium reductions. Get used to it. You all can use Google maps and Waze or smartphones to make it easier in them .... i'll stick to soft cover maps and AAA TripTiks!

Personally, I don't have a problem with big brother tracking my driving. But, a 21 percent increase in premiums may have nothing to do with the driving report. I had Allstate auto insurance for 27 years with no claims, no tickets, no excessive driving usage, and very little highway driving, and they raised my premium by 32 percent. Go figure.

My grandson has a black box fitted to his car by insurance company.
It lowers his premium a lot, and as a new 17-year-old driver, it is a big help.
Insurance premiums for first time drivers in many cases in the UK exceed the cost of the car being driven.
It also gives both his parents, and us, a little more peace of mind in that too much speed or hard cornering and breaking will cost him big time financially.

The industry, while wanting safe drivers and credit worthy clientele, the real money is in poor drivers. Higher premiums and surcharges. I equate it to an auto dealer...most don't care about a briefcase with cash for purchase. Theyre selling financing (interest etc) and extended warranties.

If an insurance premium cost more than the car, one would have to be pretty stupid to buy anything more than liability.

If a carrier would even underwrite it

Minimum insurance in UK is Third Party, Fire and Theft.
My grandson pays close to £1750 for comprehensive insurance, with a black box, but has a Volvo which is considered a lower risk car which kept premium down.
His friend has a VW Golf, and pays close to £3000.
Golfs are a Higher premium simply because of the number of accidents they have.
Boy Racers preferred wheels!

I’m guessing dodge challenge hellcats don’t sell well over there?

Only us pensioners can afford to run them!

I've had Allstate all my adult life, and my parents had Allstate when I was growing up. Our insurance went down when we moved here. It's gone up a little bit since then, but it's still less than it was when we lived up north, 5 years ago. Plus - I signed up for their Drivewise program. I figure they know every move I make anyway, I might as well get a discount for the privilege. So I get 3% off my premium just because I signed up for the program. And if my driving habits are "clean" I get up to another 7% discount.

That's on top of all the discounts we get now. We're paying around $1400 per -year- for two vehicles, combined, and another $200 (give or take a few bucks) for the two golf carts.

I saved more than 50 percent by switching to State Farm, after Allstate raised my premium by 32 percent.

Onstar has used technology to disable stolen cars for many years.

Find those who have memory issues and have lost their way.

Have helped young girls get to safety when a potential adult to trying to do them harm

Reported an accident when passengers are unconscious.

Given direction to quickly leave an unsafe area.

So yep big brother may be watching, but countless people have been saved

All of the above true. How did we all make it this far in life without all of this technology?!

First Mercedes I bought, I think 2003. I get a phone call, from an out-of-breath young lady, inquiring as to my location and if I'm safe. "Quite safe", I replied. "We're showing your vehicle is in the ocean, are you in it", she asks?

"Nah, but I'm on the Ferry Boat to Martha's Vineyard".