A bill advancing in the state legislature would let insurance companies track how you drive in exchange for a possible discount on your premium.
If Assembly Bill 311 passes, insurers would be able to monitor data about drivers’ speed, braking force, swerving habits and more — using telematics, a system that can transmit data.
Insurers can collect driver data through smartphone apps or other technology that’s embedded in a vehicle.
Only drivers who opt in would be tracked.
Assemblymember Tina McKinnor, a Democrat from Inglewood, wrote the bill. At a hearing last month, she told fellow lawmakers she’s lost three friends in vehicle crashes in the past several years. She hopes her proposal helps incentivize safer driving behavior.
Privacy advocates oppose the bill. So does California’s own Department of Insurance, which says it’s not compatible with state insurance law.
An Insurance Department spokesperson told CalMatters the agency is meeting with McKinnor’s staff to discuss its concerns.