This Gizmo Will Rat On You, And People Love It

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 car's 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. Other insurers likely will follow the example, the report says. What if you don't let Progressive snoop on your driving habits? You won't get the discount. And soon, you might be punished with higher rates. "Whatever the math will say the rates will have to start going up on the rest of it," said Robin Harbage, global marketing and sales leader for consultancy Tower Watson's auto insurance practice. "It's almost inevitable that the people who aren't using will have to pay more because the people who are the best drivers are being self-selected into these programs." from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com

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