https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/09/technology/driver-scores-insurance-data-apps.html More from Kashmir Hill
And another article that I don’t care about.
V70:
What, precisely, do you care about?
That’s been going on for quite some time now. Just getting more prevalent now.
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Can’t view it and NOT paying to see it nor jumping through hoops to read it… sorry…
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How about a lift Notes (Randon Troll Notes?) synopsis of the article. Then we might comment on it. Oh, and don’t tell us how to read it if we jump through hoops. They have a pay wall and I abide by it.
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Read it for free here…
If the app is given to you freely, then YOU are the product!
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I read (scanned) that somewhere else. I think the take away was if you use free driving apps like gas buddy, be careful to read th3 fine print and not op in to some of the features. The driving info is sold to a third party, just like your buying habits, and insurance companies can buy that information.
I have the Life360 app and it gives me a weekly summery of my driving habit along with trophies rewarding me of being a safe driver. Then it points me to car insurance companies that claimed to want me as their customer.
It lists things like speed, sharp braking, etc,
I’m not concerned about my driving habit being recorded. I don’t think I’m violating any rules by exceeding the speed limit by 10 to 15 mph while I’m most likely the slowest driver on the road. I can’t recall the last time I overtook or passed a vehicle on the road despite exceeding the speed limit 99% of the time.
If were driving outside of NY then I would be concerned exceeding the speed limit.
You are breaking the rules by definition. A speed limit is exactly that…a rule. Just because everyone else does not make it legal. You are, by admission breaking the law (the rules) 99% of the time.
That said, I do it, too.
Why? I can assure you other states have speeders, too. I’ve been in about 41 different states and ALL of them had speeders… some going waaay over the limit!
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I agreed. My point though is if I obeyed the speed limit, I’d be causing traffic interruption, and likely to be the reason for fatal accidents.
Couple days ago I drove with my sister to Manhattan and she was driving. She likes to exceed the speed limit by no more than 5mph, and I was pointing out to her throughout our trip that she was the reason for why traffic was rapidly changing lanes to get around her. She said that’s their problem and not hers and she’s not going to risk getting a ticket because of speeders. lol.
If that data results in lower insurance premiums for lower-risk drivers, and higher insurance companies for higher-risk drivers, and without any extra fees for the car owners or extra profit to the insurance company, i.e. zero-sum, I don’t see any problem. It’s like a water bill. It’s only fair that if you use less water, you pay less on your monthly bill.
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The insurance companty vehicle monitors claim that using them will not raise a persons rates . If you believe that I have a bridge for sale . While it may not raise them right away it will keep the company from giving you lower rates . Letting the carriers know that you constantly speed, brake hard and do other things they might not like is foolish.
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It’s not about breaking laws but about scoring driving behavior for riskier activities. Much like a credit report where debt to available credit is a factor in the score. Net worth is not a consideration. So you could have a million in cash somewhere but maxed out credit cards and get a low credit score. Bottom line is this information should not be collected, stored, and sold in a free society. Now all the folks will speak up with “I do nothing wrong and have nothing to hide” as they are bankrupted.
Big deal . I get those in the mail and email all the time for lower vehicle insurance, home insurance and health insurance.
Any chance it’s near my beach front property in Arizona?
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NYT finally found all the routes I use to read their articles without paying this year, so I haven’t read the article. They give me a few paragraphs for free, usually enough for me. Often the headline is enough.
It’s a shame we can’t post links to NYT articles that everyone can read for group discussion purposes. I understand they need paid subscribers to make a profit, advertising alone doesn’t cut it. But most of their articles are topical, of most interest the day they are published. It seems like they could make most of their older articles available for linking to, say 2 days+.
Of course there are other newspapers too. I have pretty good luck w/ the Boston Globe and the UK’s Guardian.
Of course, but some states are more prone to enforce ticketing with out of state cars. Because of that, NJ only adds 2 points to your license record–no matter how fast you were driving in a different state. The same infraction in NJ could place as many as 5 points on a driver’s license.
State Farm offered me an “opportunity” to get a rate reduction if I would install a “Blue Tooth Beacon” onto the OBD-II port and run an App on my smart phone. The app would track my driving and the Beacon would track my driving habits… Including these factors…
Annual mileage, Acceleration, Hard braking, Cornering, Phone use while behind the wheel, Speed, relative to the speed limit, and a lot more…
To participate, you would have to send in a photo each month of the odometer reading to ensure you do not unplug the Beacon or turn off the app…
The incentive is this will “allow” you to lower your rates… Oh Yeah, what if State Farm doesn’t not like the information it receives, Could the results increase your rates or even give them grounds to cancel your policy…
I declined this “very generous offer…”
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