State Farm Drive Safe and Save: Thought or experiences?

[actaeon277]

Connecting your driving history to those items is a bit of a stretch...

Why is it a stretch?
You are still giving personal information over.

People used to say that NOT handing over social security numbers was paranoid.
They even used social security number as a military ID number and stenciled it on everything.
I remember that.
And then all of a sudden, massive ID fraud.
And then they said, maybe this isn't a "good idea".

" On the other hand, these programs are probably more benign than we give credit for."

That sounds like the logic that the gun controllers use to convince us that things will still be ok after their next proposal passes. More data is not necessarily a benefit to anyone but the "controllers".

 

[chezuki]

The progressive version would beep at you (meaning it recorded an "unsafe practice") for hard braking... even when hard braking was the proper course of action to avoid a collision.

I found it lead to running more red lights and stop signs to avoid taking the ding for the hard stop.

 

[K_W]

The progressive version would beep at you (meaning it recorded an "unsafe practice") for hard braking... even when hard braking was the proper course of action to avoid a collision.

I found it lead to running more red lights and stop signs to avoid taking the ding for the hard stop.

This is exactly what has happened with our drivers at work with the GPS snitches in our vehicles. They're getting braking violations for avoiding accidents and racing yellows to avoid braking violations. Watching speedometers rather than focusing on the surroundings and taking corners slow and wide to avoid g forces. Worst of all driving near the speed limit to avoid violations causing the majority of traffic to slow or maneuver, putting everyone at greater risk.

I have never been in or caused a wreck that was my fault, but there is NO WAY IN HELL that I would ever have one of these in my personal vehicle.

For those who are not familiar with modern (~2007 and newer) OBD-II systems in vehicles and what you can get from them...

The OBD port is the electronic gateway to a car. Not only can you use the port to get the error codes to fix your car but you can tell nearly everything about a car from that port.

Vehicle Speed
Engine RPM
Throttle %
Braking %
Steering angle
Seat belt status
Passenger occupancy
Status of numerous vehicle systems

In addition these devices have their own sensors that can measure...
Location, date and time of where you drive and park
- They can use to assess you as high risk of accident or theft.
- The same information can be sold as meta data to billboard advertisers
- There are databases of GPS coordinates of the speed limit zones, they know your speeding.
- This information can be also subpoenaed in an unrelated case against you.
G forces in multiple axis
- Never wrecked but like going fast on the exit ramp? Higher rates.
Cabin noise level
- Like your radio loud? Higher rates.
Crash incidents
- This is the one good thing about them if you don't have OnStar or similar)
Cell phone transmitter which reports in real time can measure interference from you using your phone.
- If it uses your cellphone to report back then it also has access to exactly what your phone is doing while you drive.

This all can work FOR you but most likely will work against you as the other driver's insurance will want this data to go after you or deny your claim against them.

You may as well just have your insurance agent ride with you, because with these, he is.

 

[gregr]

Jake, from State Farm?

 

[PistolBob]

The state farm bluetooth device doesn't even connect to your vehicle...it pairs with your cell phone and it's only getting about 70% of my trips logged. Forget your phone, there is no trip record.

 

[BugI02]

Lots of paranoid people. Or do you all just have a guilty conscious? As posted, if you're a good driver you likely don't have anything to worry about. If not, well then don't get it.

Personally I wouldn't accept anything that connected to the car's OBD system. Too often third party things plugged into the OBD port cause other issues because they third party tools aren't as good or as well tested as the OEM equipment. The state farm device sounds more acceptable, but likely can track more things too. It is likely a GPS based device that sends its information to state farm via the phone app. No real good way to know what it sends. I don't need to save ~$40 for the year enough to jump through more hoops.

Your two statements, taken as a whole, don't seem to track

I will be the first to admit that I speed (in the technical sense) virtually every time I get behind the wheel. But I'd rather see some kind of skills check given to all (driving simulator?) because my on road experience tells me 90% of the people I have to interact with have no skill set, its a wonder they can tie their shoes let alone drive. I would swear that most of them look in their mirrors once every thirty seconds or so even in heavy traffic, if they look in their mirrors at all. Their decision processes are glacially slow and they react based on the way things were ten or twenty seconds ago. Thats the only hypothesis I can come up with for someone who sees you overtaking them, does not move over, sees you tucked in behind them for 8 to 10 seconds and then moves over into the center lane just as you do to get around them. If you happen to be on a motorcycle the stupid carelessness is only magnified. They can't see you because they can't be bothered to look

Those people belong behind me