I was watching TV today and a car insurance commercial came on talking about a "snapshot". I didn't even look it up to see what it was but figured it's some sort of tattle tale device that tells the insurance company how you're driving. Then, I started thinking that this could be the tip of the iceberg. Imagine an insurance company saying to you that you MUST put this device on your car if you want them to cover you. It hooks up to your GPS system and calls them any time you're driving over the speed limit or above the capability based on weather or terrain. OR, maybe the local tax collectors/ donut eaters decide that you must have a program that calls them and reports you speeding anytime you go over the limit. You all can laugh but all the technologies are in place this very minute and the way Americans have given up their freedoms the last ten years, I can see this being approved by the voters as "safety". What do you think? Am I just being paranoid? Sorry for the rant, but I've just watched things go downhill the last few years so quickly, I think this will become a reality in my lifetime.

John

 

^ I wouldnt worry about it going that far... plus there are always ways around everything...

 

Leave it up to Progressive Insurance to come up with a rat fink device. I'm sure if they could get away with it, they would make it a condition of even getting insurance. But i leave up to our own hi tech board sponsors to come up with a device that tricks the rat fink device that you never drive over 55.

 

Yea I doubt it'll ever be like this.

If one insurance company starts requiring these, other companies not requiring installation of such device will appear and thrive and like the person above said, we always have our tech junkies.

Besides I think dozing off during long trips is way more dangerous than an occasional speeding. I doubt it'll be too big a problem.

 

Ok, for the doubters, I just noticed today that Traveler's insurance has jumped on the "good behavior" band wagon. I know everybody is just saying it'll never happen, but mark my words, this thing will creep into our driving over time and will eventually be the norm. I hate to be so pessimistic, but we've given away so many freedoms already, this will just be a drop in the bucket

 

I wouldn't worry too much as eventually our cars will be electric and drive themselves anyway.

 

You're probably right. I have a very wise friend who told me that, as the population grew, public transportation will grow as a greater percentage. Cars will go the way that horses have. A few people will have them but only as a hobby not as a major form of transportation. It's sad to me realizing that one of my favorite hobbies will be going the way of the DoDo bird eventually.

 

i would think that'd be the least of your concerns given the general trends and direction of society as a whole. forget about "toll" roads. just wait until you need a permit to travel.

 

Already exists. I can't say too much because this is my job but these devices exist.

In fact most (all?) modern cars have some limited black box function that logs a handful (or two) of various things: speed, brake application, seat belt use, and so on; which can be read from the car.

In some cases where liability in an accident is in question this info can be requested.

But this works both ways. I was involved in an accident investigation in which the device could have cleared a driver wrongly accused of being at fault, wrongly accused by a second driver of another vehicle which was also involved in the multi-car accident. This second driver was strongly suspected of being at fault.

But the first driver didn't have the device installed. I might add that several million dollars of liability was at risk. It was not just a question of who buys who a new bumper.

In fact I had two accidents -- neither one my fault -- in which I had a 'black box' like device installed which clearly showed my car (two different cars, two different accidents) was at rest when hit by another car.

What I hear from insurance companies is more and more the at fault driver will deny being at fault and if there is no evidence (or witnesses) clearly indicating who was at fault, the case goes to arbitration. The arbitrator cuts the baby in half and each driver pays for his car's damage.

But in my case, in both cases, this would have sucked. In one particularly egregious accident, my car (after a week or so of adjuster after adjuster) was declared a total loss -- a brand new (3-4 week old) Cayman S -- while the driver of the other car -- some beat up old Volvo -- drove her car away from the accident scene (after stopping and exchanging info) with not even a busted headlight.

Sincerely,

Macster.

 

Don't doubt it at all and sounds great for when my kid is driving (10 years) but no thanks for me.

 

Great news! maybe I can call my insurance and check my lap times

 

I own an independent insurance agency that represents the P-company. I had to go through a hour long crash course on snapshot last month. The narrator kept reiterating that the device only checks when you are driving, how fast you accelerate, heavy braking, but not speed or where. Yet the device can check to see if you are traveling on congested road. Leave it to Progressive to come up with a big brother idea. Look at its former pot smoking, Soros loving Ceo Peter Lewis. This is a guy you would never trust.
Allstate has the same type of device also. They tout it as a money saver, yet I have picked up several clients after they received big increases from putting the device in their vehicles.

 

time to invest in a spare ECU / Computer for your car... Hackers can do ANYTHING with computers.... so I have been told...

 

Next there will be a "black box" installed in your car and prints tickets as you drive

 

The insurance companies, at least those the do business in CA, are under pressure (it is the law IIRC): they can only charge based on miles driven.

Thus CA insurance companies want to know how many miles each of the cars it insures is driven so it can charge accordingly.

But relying upon the insured for this info is a problem. Of course mistakes or even fraud are possible. Even having the car's odometer read by an agent is a real problem. Millions of vehicles are involved. Just like power/light utilities are seeking to eliminate "meter readers" with the eletronic reporting of gas/electricity/water used, insurance companies do not want to have to staff a huge "odometer reader" division.

So insurance companies are seeking devices that can track how many miles a vehicle is driven over a span of time so they can bill accordingly.

Sincerely,

Macster.