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A couple weeks ago i get a call from my insurance lady that my policy would be going up but she shopped around and got me an even better deal.
Today i get a package in the mail. I figure my wife has ordered some more shit we dont need. She hands it back and says im supposed to plug it into my truck for the new insurance policy. This thing tracks geolocation, acceleration, deceleration, time, speed, bla bla bla and sends the info wirelessly.
Im going to Hillary Clinton this fucking thing into a million pieces and send it back. Ill take the next highest insurance thank you.
You can drive like a princess for six months and get a better rate, or send it back and not get a better rate. No need to throw a hissy fit about it.
spqrzilla
11-26-2018, 21:48
I am trying to imagine what "drive like a princess" even means .... [mlp]
Or you could drive like a mad man to see what they say then change to the next plan.
I had a Progressive one about 5-6 years ago and it would audibly beep every time I did something it didn't like; which was generally braking too hard, turning too hard and usually both.
Zundfolge
11-26-2018, 22:41
I wouldn't smash the thing (you'll likely get billed for it) but I certainly wouldn't plug it into my car.
Plugging in Snapshot on Huracan or R8 would bring the insurance cost much higher for anyone for sure. Stay away. :D
I'd just plug it into my truck. It stays parked 99% of the time, and the other 1 % is mostly driving over to the other side of the building at work to dump trash once a week...max speed is about 3 mph, and round trip mileage is about 100 yards.
I kind of understand the paranoia of the devices, but I'm interested to hear of ANY first hand accounts of insurance using this device for anything besides potentially reducing a rate. None of the companies I worked for used these at the time I was doing auto stuff, but they did exist at the time. Of the thousands of claims I handled, not a single one had anything to do with one of these devices, not did I ever hear of any instance from any of my many coworkers, nor the companies. *Companies will often talk about big court cases (win or lose) after they are over.
I very much doubt that they broadcast live data, or else there would be no need to send them back until you cancelled the policy, not to mention they would be cost prohibitive to have a data plan. I think people are worried that they will be self incriminating in the case of an accident. First, I doubt the desk adjuster is going to either know, or even care if you had one installed. If it was a minor accident with no injuries, I can't imagine any company demanding the return of the device to study the data because most minor claims would be settled before it'd even arrive in the mail. If it were a major accident, there are already plenty of other methods of working out what happened that are already being utilized and the amount of concrete data from the device is not likely to contribute much.
Otherwise, I really have a hard time believing that any one is looking at the parts of the data that an individual may care about like GPS locations. The insurance company already has your address and social security number. They don't care where you've been and aren't going to be sharing their proprietary days with anyone else.
I'd just plug it into my truck. It stays parked 99% of the time, and the other 1 % is mostly driving over to the other side of the building at work to dump trash once a week...max speed is about 3 mph, and round trip mileage is about 100 yards.
That's what I did on my third vehicle and they sent a letter telling me to either plug it in, or send it back because nothing was coming in. I guess that means I have to take back the part about sending live data then. In truth so have no idea. I still maintain contacts in the Auto industry of anyone would like me to ask, but MarkCo probably knows more than I could easily find out.
ChickNorris
11-27-2018, 08:40
Drive like a princess wha?
[mlp]
Let's just say even the driver for ms daisy will get a rate hike with this.
With the plug in, a driver will accelerate(+/-), lateral accelerate so slow that even grandma on a Buick regal will cut you off. ;)
ChickNorris
11-27-2018, 09:14
Tattlers & Subarus & all the four letter words.
Same difference. Following?
Only baroo on the 'not my wrath' list: wrx sti
For the record, my wife always got a discount on her vehicle, and I never did on mine.
wctriumph
11-27-2018, 18:21
I did it and got a 7% premium reduction. I drive like an old person anyway.
Then the hail came and my rates went up again because it cost them so much to fix everyone else's hail damage!
There is always a way for big companies to take my money with the complicity of the government.
If you are in an accident, some of them can be pulled and all the data is there. By passes the legalities of collecting the data from the airbag module. But since there are not standards for their calibration, I would not go to court on that data alone, but then 1 in 100 cases goes to court... In most cases I still ask for, and get, the airbag module data whether I pull it myself or get it from the 3rd party contractors the insurance companies use to pull it which costs them less.
Plugging in Snapshot on Huracan or R8 would bring the insurance cost much higher for anyone for sure. Stay away. :D if he has a huracan and an r8 I don?t feel like this would be a thread topic but if you or him have those.... Are you adopting? I am house trained and can cook and weld
For the record, my wife always got a discount on her vehicle, and I never did on mine.
So does mine. She has a college degree.
BushMasterBoy
11-27-2018, 22:38
Just install and wrap with tinfoil. Sometimes unwrap it. Or build a little can to go over it. I went to school for this stuff. At Lowry AFB, you might of heard of it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempest_(codename)
What kind of data does the airbag module have?
if he has a huracan and an r8 I don?t feel like this would be a thread topic but if you or him have those.... Are you adopting? I am house trained and can cook and weld
[Although both are way beyond the mean of my car budget] I tell him R8 poor man's Huracan, and I call Huracan glorified R8 v10. *Loop* :D
What kind of data does the airbag module have?
Vehicle speed, Brake light switch (On/Off?), Engine speed, Throttle position, number of key cycles, ∆V, Seat belt buckle, Near deployment events, Airbag deployments, Seat belt pre-tensioner deployments. In some vehicles, there is more. I have seen direction, light condition, load, engine temperature. Near deployment events are when the airbag has passed a certain threshold but did not elevate past a trigger threshold. These are overwritable, meaning 1 to 5 can be stored, but they go away writing over the oldest if the limit is met. Deployment events are not overwritable which is why the module needs to be changed if you have a deployment event. The event is from 5 to 8 seconds of data. The data is collected and stored in a matrix format and the manufacturers, by law, have to allow 3rd parties to access their modules as well as decode. So with most of the data, I get a graphical representation. Brake light switch, seat belts is just a yes or no.
Interesting, is that essentially the "little black box" then?
Interesting, is that essentially the "little black box" then?
That is what it is often called. Usually under the passenger seat about an inch thick and 4 to 5 inches square.
We recently added a a couple of new cars that our insurance agent said couldn't be covered by the provider we were with for 15 years. This caused us to start shopping and we're SO glad we did. One of the local agents we got quotes from suggested we install one of those devices which could "save us up to 30%" according to her. We kept shopping and found another company that was even lower w/o the need to spy on us.
Moral: keep shopping. A better deal is out there.
BladesNBarrels
11-28-2018, 10:32
When I bought my 2016 Yukon, it came with full coverage OnStar for 3 or 6 months.
I started getting monthly emails that told me how many times I applied the brake hard, when I accelerated fast, etc.
I just found that intrusive. I was accelerating fast to get on the freeways, applying the brakes hard when a distracted driver suddenly realized they were missing a light or a turn.
Plus, OnStar was going to charge me more than $40 a month to continue the monitoring.
No thanks.
When I bought my 2016 Yukon, it came with full coverage OnStar for 3 or 6 months.
I started getting monthly emails that told me how many times I applied the brake hard, when I accelerated fast, etc.
I just found that intrusive. I was accelerating fast to get on the freeways, applying the brakes hard when a distracted driver suddenly realized they were missing a light or a turn.
Plus, OnStar was going to charge me more than $40 a month to continue the monitoring.
No thanks.
But however will you know when you've accelerated aggressively or braked savagely w/o big bro sliding in your DMs for the scant service fee of only $40/mo? ROFL
kidicarus13
11-28-2018, 13:54
When I bought my 2016 Yukon, it came with full coverage OnStar for 3 or 6 months.
I started getting monthly emails that told me how many times I applied the brake hard, when I accelerated fast, etc.
I just found that intrusive. I was accelerating fast to get on the freeways, applying the brakes hard when a distracted driver suddenly realized they were missing a light or a turn.
Plus, OnStar was going to charge me more than $40 a month to continue the monitoring.
No thanks.Now they just collect the same data on your driving habits as before and sell it to requesting companies, or agencies that provide a court order.
I recently got some of the tattle tale devices in the mail. They will be going back. No thanks. I have excellent credit and an excellent driving record. I dont need anyone watching me. (other than the black helicopter that already do)
This one gets me too... what the hell does one's credit have to do with how good of a driver they are. Such a bogus data point for car insurance.
More info on the spy devices: https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/how-do-those-car-insurance-tracking-devices-work
This one gets me too... what the hell does one's credit have to do with how good of a driver they are. Such a bogus data point for car insurance.
Tracking devices are likely partially a direct response from years of hearing customers complaining about using credit score as a metric to decide rates. Credit score isn't used to correlate with how good of a driver one is, but how likely they are to turn in a claim.
kidicarus13
11-28-2018, 17:15
This one gets me too... what the hell does one's credit have to do with how good of a driver they are. Such a bogus data point for car insurance.As far as generalizations go... responsible enough to keep your credit score high, responsible enough keep other worldly affairs in order.
Does a uncut, weed filled yard mean that the interior of your house is not spotless? Not necessarily but if I were a betting man...
My guess on credit score was on prompt or late premium payment. That was my biggest guess.
As far as generalizations go... responsible enough to keep your credit score high, responsible enough keep other worldly affairs in order.
Does a uncut, weed filled yard mean that the interior of your house is not spotless? Not necessarily but if I were a betting man...
Responsible enough to keep your credit up? ROFL
I'm not paying some shitty bank interest for a loan I don't need to prove I can make payments on time in case someone wants to be lazy and judge me based on an arbitrary number that has zero correlation to my ability to drive or pay my insurance premiums.
My yard is the best looking in the neighborhood. Period. Full Stop. It's green by March every year and by the time most others have their sprinklers turned on I've mowed three to four times. Does that mean the interior of my house is immaculate 24/7365? Nope. I take pride in my lawn and enjoy doing the work while sometimes dishes sit in the sink a little while because it's not something I enjoy.
I hate generalizations like this for things that are entirely unrelated. I also get a chuckle at people who buy into the assumed correlations. It's a lot like "well if someone voted for so and so then they're a room temperature IQ idiot that I have nothing in common with" without actually asking them anything to find out what their beliefs are. It's just easier if we as a society can group people in boxes so we keep from wasting time to get to know people on a personal level.
My guess on credit score was on prompt or late premium payment. That was my biggest guess.
Wouldn't my impeccable track record for paying for a full year of premium up front & "on time" (not sure how you can do that with a pre-paid service) be a little more important than an arbitrary unrelated number? I mean, this isn't a credit card we're talking about here where you can rack up thousands worth of debt. If you don't pay your premium they just cancel coverage anyway so what's the point?
This one gets me too... what the hell does one's credit have to do with how good of a driver they are. Such a bogus data point for car insurance.
Really low credit scores are correlated with insurance fraud, expired license and plates and a bevy of other indicators that make a person a higher risk. On the converse, you get discounts for each degree, professional license, acceptance to honorary societies etc. Males pay more than females, but females have and cause more accidents...how does that work? Payments on accidents caused by men are higher, and they have a higher rate of at fault accidents involving drugs, alcohol and death. The data also shows that the higher your math and science scores, the less likely you are to have an accident. One of the best pure drivers I ever met could not do any math above addition and subtraction. It is not based on you, it is based on how they group you. Maybe we should petition the Insurance Commission to force rates based on gun ownership.
While they are barred from using it for rates, ethnicity shows differences as well.
ChickNorris
11-28-2018, 19:15
That's funny foxtrot.
It might be funny, but it is closer to truth than not.
ChickNorris
11-28-2018, 19:23
I didn't say it didn't apply to the stereotypical or the presumed data ; )
I just laughed at how when I break something, its not a whoopsie daisy as described.
Yeah, my wife has NEVER broken a socket whereas I ended up needing medical attention for 2 of the 5 I have broken.
I'm still paying for the time my wife broke her water.
BladesNBarrels
11-29-2018, 11:22
I'm still paying for the time my wife broke her water.
Lifetime Achievement!
Otherwise, I really have a hard time believing that any one is looking at the parts of the data that an individual may care about like GPS locations. The insurance company already has your address and social security number. They don't care where you've been and aren't going to be sharing their proprietary days with anyone else.
It doesn't matter if you have a hard time believing it or not- it happens. Just because you can't figure out what to do with that info doesn't mean that others don't gather up the data, package it and sell it.
I suppose you also plug your smart phone into the car's stereo system, and expect that the only thing the computer is reading is your music, and not your contacts, your browsing history, and everything else on the phone?
This is all about packaging data. It is disguised as a way to save you a few bucks here and there. It is NOT. Data scraping goes far beyond email addresses.
Everyone against this is really going to hate Ford then, and soon.
For the record, I was speaking strictly from the perspective of your personal info being available to employees at the insurance company. Selling meta data is a whole different deal and seems to be half of the reason many things exist today. Don't know what to say about that. With respect to packaging and selling data, then you've got me convinced. Tracker = bad.
I am already not a fan of Ford, mostly due to what I have seen them do in court, and before, on cases where they clearly had liability. And yes, they are scraping data for all kinds of things, some that people would not be happy with. There is a slight benefit to having a digital footprint in those outlier cases, but not enough to justify the abuse of the information collection.
As far as the insurance company having my social, not mine. Been with the same carrier since 16 and they have never had it. When they asked for it in 2002, claiming it was a new requirment, I challenged them and they gave in.
I hated asking for SS. Haven't had to do that for years.
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