Auto insurance - tracking your driving app

Your phone already tracks you.

If you are a very mellow, infrequent driver, then it sounds like a reasonable deal - IF the rate reduction is a meaningful amount dollar-wise.

I like the idea and have thought about looking into it, I'm a slow driver on neighborhood streets, I like to walk & my semi-urban neighborhood has few sidewalks.  I don't drive much. So that program seems maybe attractive.

But highways in Utah & Tejas move at 80+ in the left lane, I like the left lane, so I figure they'd raise my rates for doing the occasional 100, despite my very low miles driven numbers.

https://www.metromile.com

Many insurance companies now want to track your mileage as well, as if that matters. You either drive risky and have issues or you don't. My position is that it's none of their business. Even if your driving record is clean, valid, and clear, many of these programs will eventually circle around to not help you very much at all. Take, for example, the i-Watch (or whatever they're called) data which will eventually be used for health insurance premiums or similar and they'll have a wealth of information that may or may not point to risk factors based on odd heartbeats, alcohol/drug use, etc etc. Proceed With Caution.

...but, sure, we're all getting tracked and data-collected upon in different ways. Dissecting and heading off those efforts may help slow down the cause. It not? It is already way out of control. DNA "ownership" is the brave new war.

Didn't you get vaccinated? Then you already have a tracking device in you. Tell them to use that.

Remember - you are not only the company's customer, you also supply the product -- your data. Ingenious business model, isn't it?

At this point in time it would be good to have back up when I cannot find my car at the grocery store."hello Allstate, yea it's me again, what isle is my car in"

I always drive 5 mph* over. Would that negate any advantage?

Probably.

* - except in CA on the freeway. Then it's 10. Otherwise you get creamed from behind.

I always drive 5 mph* over. Would that negate any advantage?<<<

This might negate your chances of ever becoming President; unless, of course, you're successful in thwarting Congress' attempts to subpoena your driving records.

BUT, it sounds crazy to me to give them permission to track me. On the other hand, if someone wanted to, they could probably know where I am anyway. So...

Does anyone here have this sort of thing with their insurance company? Does anyone thing I'm giving them permission to know too much about me and my habits?<<<

At present, I believe the tradeoff is likely skewed to their favor in terms of the massive amount of information you're providing them for what is likely a diminishing return as translated into savings to you.  However, this is just speculation based upon a very cursory initial look at this from my insurance company a little while back.  So, the return might be of greater substance now.  I think as time goes on, the industry will likely move more in the direction to embrace this sort of model.  I imagine it would ultimately help out safe drivers in the end, but suspect insurance companies would likely still stack the deck in their favor.  It'd be interesting to see how claims would unfold if the insurance company(s) have granular data related to accidents in so far as how they might assign blame?  IOW, they might not simply have your data, but also have the data for all vehicles involved in an accident; somehow giving them an advantage prior to any potential legal proceedings.

Taking a step back to a "lunar view":  I think everyone having a "black box" in their vehicle might make the need for in person traffic enforcement a thing of the past & perhaps remove an enormous window into the lives of many (who are often profiled) to go on phishing expeditions or simply blow up (by intent or accident).  IOW, I see this technology evolving to the point at which it can effectively report who's at fault in all circumstances and also transmit transgressions to authorities even when there's not an accident involved.

judit, the main thing id check into regarding privacy concerns would be what happens to your driving/location data after it is used to determine a potential discount. is it stored on a server somewhere? is it deleted immediatley? is the software they use to collect data connected in any way to companies already potentially collecting data and providing you with targeted marketing, like google or amazon? most importantly, do they sell the data or provide it in any way to anyone outside the process of determining your potential discount?

personally i would not sign on, but i recognize that is mostly out of principle and there is no clear and present threat to my privacy based on this one thing, assuming the answers to the questions i posted above are more or less agreeable. id probably be less concerned if i were older - much of the GD/phil fanbase will likely not be around long enough to see the rise of the borg, but i might be. trying to stay off the grid as much as possible.

do they tell you how much you save if you're a "safe" driver

do they raise your rate if you're not 

in San Diego we have two freeway speeds - 90 and bumper to bumper

Judit, I read your op. Go for it. I would like to believe that absolutely nobody would think you are a smuggler pirate vagabond. 

Can't get the vision. 

I would absolutely NOT do this.  None of their damn business and I'm sure the "discount" isn't worth it.