Can an Insurance Tracking Device Affect My Car Accident Claim?

Plenty of insurance companies offer their customers lower rates in exchange for installing a tracking device in their vehicle. Drivers must meet certain criteria to get the discounts, though, such as limiting driving to a certain number of miles per month and avoiding dangerous driving behaviors like speeding or hard braking.

Although a tracking device may help save you money, could this information be used against you when filing a claim after an accident?

If you need help filing a claim after a crash caused by someone else’s negligence, call our Sacramento-area car accident attorneys today. The consultation is free and confidential. There are also no upfront fees for our services.

How Do Insurance Tracking Devices Work?

An insurance tracking device is also known as a telematics device. Many insurance companies offer these devices, using a brand name, to track the driving habits of an insured individual.

Some of the most popular telematics discount programs include:

• Progressive’s Snapshot
• State Farm’s Drive Safe and Save App
• Allstate’s Drivewise
• Liberty Mutual’s RightTrack
• Nationwide’s SmartRide
• GEICO’s DriveEasy

The insurance company installs the device into the vehicle’s Event Data Recording system (EDR) to track safe driving practices that should result in lower premiums for safe drivers.

What Data Do Insurance Tracking Devices Collect?

It is important that you ask your insurance provider what data the company wants to collect before you agree to let them install one of these devices in your vehicle. Not only is this important to protect the value of a potential claim, but also to protect your privacy.

Once installed, these devices will monitor things like:

• Your vehicle’s speed
• Your braking habits
• The time of day you drive
• How often you drive
• How much traffic you encounter
• How many miles you drive on average
• Whether you use turn signals
• If you use your phone while driving (through Bluetooth)

Since the telematics device is plugged into your vehicle’s EDR, or black box, it can access a lot of data. Each insurance company may have different parameters for the data they use to offer a discount.

As the technology in vehicles continues to evolve, it is difficult to know what data may be available to the insurance company’s tracking device when connected to the EDR.

What Can Be Done With the Data Collected From an Insurance Tracking Device?

Some companies use the data collected to increase insurance premiums for drivers they consider at greater risk of getting into an accident.

For example, they may raise premiums for a driver who has a longer commute or spends more time in heavy traffic. The insurance company can even use GPS tracking to see if you park your car in high-crime areas.

Aside from evaluating your chances of you filing a claim, the insurance company may also sell your data to third parties for profit. This can be especially dangerous if your information is exposed in a data breach.

How Can the Data From an Insurance Tracking Device Be Used Against Me?

It is possible the insurance company could use this information against you when you file a claim, such as if you and the at-fault driver have the same insurance company. They may use the data to try to prove you were speeding, were distracted or that you failed to use a turn signal.

Even if you did not cause this accident, but you have a history of speeding or using your phone while driving, the insurance company will try and use that information against you. With access to the data from an insurance tracking device in your vehicle it is easier to pull up that data during your case to diminish your credibility.

If you can still manage to prove another party’s negligence, the insurance company may be able to use the data from their tracking device to argue you are at least partially liable for your damages. If they can prove that, your compensation award could be significantly reduced.

It is important to note that data from the tracking device in your vehicle could also be used to prove your case. Your attorney could get access to it to find information that shows you were driving responsibly. This is something to discuss with your attorney when filing a claim.

Need Help With Your Claim? Call Us Today

Our experienced attorneys are prepared to help from the very beginning of your claim process. We can thoroughly investigate the crash and determine what legal options may be available to you.

We do not charge you anything unless we recover compensation for you.

No upfront fees. No risks. Call 916-777-7777 today.