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Our Raleigh car accident attorneys at Roberts & Harris PC know most vehicle insurance companies offer “safe driver” programs for their policyholders. The upside of these programs, of course, is that the policyholder will have a lower premium.
To achieve the lower rate, drivers must prove they are “safe.” This means placing a tracking device on their vehicle or mobile device to prove they obey the speed limit, brake responsibly, and do not perform any reckless maneuvers — like jerking the wheel, or excessively changing lanes.
The downside of this technology is, the driver’s privacy may be at risk while these devices are in use. In addition, the tracking device could negatively impact the driver’s ability to file a successful insurance claim if he or she is involved in a collision.
Here are some of the risks North Carolina drivers face when using their insurance company’s tracking devices.
How Are Vehicle Tracking Devices Used by Insurance Companies?
Most major car insurance companies like Allstate, Farmers, Geico, Liberty Mutual, Nationwide, Progressive, and State Farm offer usage-based insurance, also called safe driver programs, that requires the driver to use a tracking device.
A typical auto insurance tracking device collects information regarding:
- Braking and accelerating habits.
- Daytime or nighttime driving.
- How frequently you drive and for how long.
- Phone use while driving when the tracking occurs from your mobile phone.
- Speed.
- Turning habits.
The problem is, these tracking devices record data only, which is subjective. It does not monitor real-world scenarios where drivers may swerve to miss a squirrel in the road or speed up to allow a commercial vehicle to merge safely onto an interstate. Not only can these scenarios impede your ability to achieve a better rate, but they may signal to the insurance company that any upcoming crash could be your fault.
What Are the Risks of Using Car Insurance Tracking Devices?
The initial risk of using a car insurance tracking device is that you are surrendering private information for review. This includes where you are, how you use your mobile device (when the tracker is installed on an app), and other data, even when you are not driving.
While you may think none of this is relevant to your insurance company, it too can be used subjectively as they see fit when you file a claim.
The second, and most obvious risk, is that collected data can be used against you. Again, since the tracker is only able to collect data, and not circumstances, inclement weather, or a bouncing ball into the middle of the road, which may be followed by a small child to retrieve it, all the insurance company will see is what is happening at the time.
This means it could use tracking data to deny or award you less compensation for your claim.
Even if you are not at fault for the crash, the negligent party’s car accident attorney can subpoena tracking data from your insurance company and look for anything they can use against you.
The best way to prove to your insurance company you are a safe driver is to avoid being in an accident at all. Unfortunately, this is not always an option when sharing the road with negligent drivers. If you have been hurt in a crash with a reckless motorist, we can help protect you from the start of your claim.
Contact Our Experienced Car Accident Law Firm in Raleigh, North Carolina
Contact our skilled Raleigh auto accident lawyers at Roberts & Harris PC today at 919-249-5006 or online to learn how we can help provide exceptional legal solutions for your unique needs today. Contact our Raleigh personal injury lawyers for more legal help.