TripSense
Friday, 18 November 2005
Just got an e-mail from Progressive, who want people to sign up for Tripsense;
What driving habits determine whether you’re a safer driver than others? We’re trying to determine that with TripSense, Progressive’s innovative program that collects driving data about mileage, speed and trip times which, when the program is rolled out, will be used to provide customers with a more accurate insurance rate.
The TripSense program is still in the research stage, so we’re looking for policyholders to volunteer and to help us collect more driving information from vehicles across the country. We’ll send you a TripSensor that you plug into your car and forget about until it’s time to unplug it and send it to us. When you send the device back to us, will give you $50 for helping us with our research. The results will not affect your insurance rate; we just want to know how you drive — and we won’t even know that until you send us the info.
Basically, it looks like a USB dongle that also plugs into your car’s automagic interface plug. Very innovative of Progressive. The testing they’re doing is obviously the first step; as they refine the techniques, expect it to become more common, and eventually, perhaps required.
So, horrible, big-brother invasion of privacy and “freedom”, or handy way bring some justice to often arbitrary insurance fees? Is the comparison to using genetic testing for health insurance valid (I don’t think so)? I must say, anything that would avoid my insurance fees going up when some other idiot hits me would be welcome.