How Auto Insurers Are Tracking Your Driving Through Phone Apps
In a bid to assess driving habits and tailor insurance premiums accordingly, auto insurers have been covertly tracking drivers’ behavior through partnerships with various phone apps.
What Apps Are Involved?
Apps like Life360 (family tracking), MyRadar (weather tracking), and GasBuddy (fuel price comparison) have quietly integrated with Arity, an Allstate company that collects driving data. This data includes:
- Speeding
- Braking habits
- Phone usage while driving
- Hard turns
How the Data Is Used
This driving data is used by insurance companies to create a “driving score” that determines the level of risk associated with a driver. The higher the risk, the higher the insurance premiums.
Opt-Out Options
The consent to share driving data with insurers is often buried in the fine print of the app’s privacy policies. Many drivers may have inadvertently agreed to this data sharing without realizing it.
However, it’s important to note that most of these apps allow users to opt out of data sharing. Check the privacy settings of the apps you use to disable this feature.
Privacy Concerns
The practice of tracking driving data through phone apps has raised privacy concerns. Some drivers worry that their data could be misused or shared with third parties without their consent.
In response, Arity has stated that they use the data solely to improve insurance pricing and safety initiatives. They also emphasize that customers have control over whether or not their data is shared.
Benefits to Drivers
While privacy concerns are valid, the use of driving data by insurers can also have benefits for drivers. By monitoring their driving habits, drivers can identify areas where they can improve and potentially lower their insurance premiums.
Additionally, Arity claims that the data they collect can help create safer roads by identifying dangerous driving patterns and developing targeted safety programs.
Conclusion
The use of phone apps to track driving data by auto insurers is a complex issue with both potential benefits and drawbacks.
Drivers should be aware of the privacy implications of sharing their driving data and carefully consider whether or not they want to opt in.
Insurance companies, on the other hand, need to ensure that they are using the data responsibly and in a way that protects driver privacy.
Mehek 
Divya 
Deepika