Tag Archives: driving habit information

It’s Here: Your Car Is Talking to Your Insurance Company

Two years ago, we did a story that sometime in the near future, vehicle manufacturers will share your driving information with insurance companies. I’m not sure the feedback that that won’t happen was wishful thinking or dread, but it’s here and it’s happening.

Drivers are getting insurance increases between 20% and a doubling of their rates already. When some wanted to trace why, their consumer disclosure information on lexisnexis showed hundreds of pages of detailed driving information from their vehicle manufacturer.

According to a story in the New York Times and other outlets, the information being shared includes your speed, breaking habits, how you accelerate and the distance (time) you drive. That information is shared with insurance companies by most manufacturers, including GM, Ford, Subaru, Kia, Honda, Hyundai and Mitsubishi.

You may love your vehicle, but your vehicle and the companies that sold it to you don’t love you back. In fact, they’re stabbing you in the back. Privacy laws? Not so much. Unless laws are passed that the information originating from inside your vehicle is yours and yours alone, this sharing will continue and accelerate. But don’t hold your breath for any legislation: Insurance companies donate more to political parties than you and I do…

Oh and those DNA tests? Want to now bet whether your results and any indication of illnesses, potential of cancer or other markers will get shared with life insurance companies sometime soon…if they’re not already being re-sold…