Tracking your driving habits to save money

[jeffrey]

Would you let your car insurance company track your driving to save money?

It looks like a coming trend. OnStar has teamed up with GMAC insurance where if you agree to let OnStar send your driving information from OnStar to GMAC insurance, you can get a discount on your car insurance from 7% to 54% if you drive less than 15,000 miles a year.

It seems to me that since insurance companies are always looking for ways to reduce risk and know how much and where you drive can help out a lot in this respect, that systems like this will become more common in the future. Then again, is it worth giving this type of information to a company in order to save a few bucks?

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I highly doubt that I would permit that invasion of privacy, but I would want to know more details on what is monitored. If it were mileage only--sure, I'd go for it, being that we drove only 9500 miles each of the last two years. My privacy is definitely worth something.

[kork13]

Originally Posted by Joan.of.the.Arch

I highly doubt that I would permit that invasion of privacy, but I would want to know more details on what is monitored. If it were mileage only--sure, I'd go for it, being that we drove only 9500 miles each of the last two years. My privacy is definitely worth something.

I've heard of either this program, or a similar one... I don't know exactly what OnStar would be tracking, but in the program I had heard about, there was an accelerometer installed in the car, transmitting measurements of acceleration and braking forces to a tracking system. Idea is that if you drive calmly, don't accelerate/stop quickly, or make quick lane changes, you're a safer driver and therefore deserve lower insurance rates. personally, since it ONLY measures and transmits accelerations and such, I'd be fine with it--especially knowing that such a program would help my insurance rates (i normally drive pretty calmly). HOWEVER, for this program in specific, I can't really say--I don't know what is tracked by OnStar.

[Cassandra]

Originally Posted by Joan.of.the.Arch

I highly doubt that I would permit that invasion of privacy, but I would want to know more details on what is monitored. If it were mileage only--sure, I'd go for it, being that we drove only 9500 miles each of the last two years. My privacy is definitely worth something.

I agree. I would not take part in it if it tracked where I was going. But I wouldn't have a problem if it only looked at the mileage.

[Investing First Steps]

Quite reminiscent of the programs grocery stores use to track your purchases to help them make better stocking/marketing decisions.

[cptacek]

I wouldn't do it. I didn't buy a GM last time I bought a vehicle because all the pickups I was looking at had On-Star.

They can unlock your car doors. They can disable your engine. They can track you down to the lane you are driving in. At least with your cell phone you can take the battery out and they can't track you with the GPS in there.

I heard of a dealership in Chicago or Detroit that made car loans to people who had no business getting these loans. They had terrible credit and didn't have jobs. But the dealership had something installed in the car that if the payment was late, they sent a signal to the car to not let it start. They got their money.

[MoneyTrev]

No. I will not let them know my details. They have no business knowing it and what do they need it for? I suspect they might sell this information.

[srblanco7]

I can hear the voice coming over the speaker - "if you do not decrease your speed, we'll have no choice but to increase your premium..."

Way too much of an Orwellian vibe for me.

[ruth333]

That seems kinda of creepy to me too. i would not want them having that much control.