Posted on 07/09/2012 10:26:36 AM PDT by nascarnation
Privacy is highly valued until we can sell it for a small discount. Hundreds of thousands of auto insurance customers allowed an electronic ankle bracelet fitted to their car in exchange for a possible insurance discount. A year ago, Progressive offered its Snapshot device. It plugs into your cars OBD system keeps and collects data that help Progressive to profile your driving. According to Reuters, Progressive already analyzed more than 5 billion driven miles. The company says its driving-behavior data is twice as good as any other factor in predicting risk, and that bad drivers cost Progressive more than twice as much as good ones.
(Excerpt) Read more at thetruthaboutcars.com ...
Hundreds of thousands fell for Flo’s Snapshot BS??
Small wonder this country’s in yrouble.
High deceleration is consistent with a collision.
I thought it was General Electric Geico.
"Gizmo KAKA!!!"
Most dangerous situations I am seeing on the road these days involve vehicles moving forward while the driver’s head is turned away at a 90 degree angle, or drivers of moving vehicles with their heads down buried in food.
Flo’s little snapshot device ain’t gonna do nothing about either of those.
yrouble - sb ‘trouble’
I’ve read they donate Democrat big-time.
Switched my 4-wheeler coverage to another company even though it cost me an extra twenty-five bucks.
LOL...I don’t care who you are, that’s funny!
I like the idea .... it would simplify apprehension of car thieves before they crash or strip the car.
Or at least collision avoidance late in the game. If you’re regularly needing to jam on your brakes to not get in accidents then the insurance company figures you’re probably not paying enough attention and missing other opportunities to avoid collision less “abruptly”, which means eventually you’re going to be too late, so your rates go up because they “know” you’re getting in an accident soon.
Insurance is all about playing the odds, the more of your behavior they know the more they know about your odds, the more they can charge accordingly. If you’re a nice boring safe driver like my grandfather was it’s the system for you, if you’re emotionally incapable of not speeding when you get behind the wheel like me...
Most dangerous situations I am seeing on the road these days involve vehicles moving forward while the drivers head is turned away at a 90 degree angle, or drivers of moving vehicles with their heads down buried in food.
__________________
Here’s a solution; a device that notes where the eyes are focused and whether the hands are indeed on steering wheel. Something like a tactile sensor for the wheel, and a micro-camera to determine eye position. This is just an idea, off-the-cuff.
The first time it notices a driver not paying attention, a gentle chime and reminder to watch the road.
The second time, a mild electric shock, rigged through the driver’s seat.
Third time, it takes control of the steering, moves the vehicle to the side of the road, decelerates, stops, locks the doors/windows, shuts off the motor, and sends an electric current to detonate the five pounds of C4 in the dashboard.
Problem? Solution.
Cheers!
*squirrel Jail*
Definitely not good for people who work nights. It seems Progressive thinks only people who work 9-5, M-F are the only “good” drivers. The thing clicks up “bad” if you’re driving after midnight (according to the comments in the linked story).
I switched to Erie Insurance Company. Saved me hundreds of dollars a year. My BIL is a rep and I never wanted to do business with family but he came through. Saved me a ton of dough
Peter LEWIS owns Progressive Insurance. He is known to be a communist.
If the claims about the correlation between "Snapshot data" and cost of issuing policies is true (that is, that "unsafe" drivers cost 2.5 times as much as others), then it is not "BS".
While I oppose any mandates from government to track my behavior or travel, I have no concern with private companies attempting to make the insurance industry more competitive.
I buy insurance to protect myself from unforseeable incidents which could damage me financially. I shouldn't have to pay twice as much as necessary if it is possible to forsee that I have less likelihood of getting into an accident.
No matter how good a driver you are, if you spend much road time when the bars are closing you are at high risk.
Most vehicles have trouble reaching 1g braking decelerations. Collision decels can to to ~ 50 g’s
They’re not looking for the 50g’s, that’s an accident, they’re going to hear about that. They’re looking for the 1g’s, almost an accident, you don’t tell them about that, but the more often it happens the more likely the 50g’s. That’s why your rates go up when you get a ticket, it shows risky behavior. This is just pulling more consistent data, high speeds, jammed on brakes, late driving, lots of steering (generally means you’re drunk or tired), stuff that increases your chances of getting in an accident. The risk factors are well documented, the telltales are well known, that’s what they’re recording.
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