Allstate Auto Insurance Device Could Measure Driver Vital Signs

A recent report showed that insurance carrier Allstate filed a patent for a new auto insurance device that would measure numerous aspects of a driver’s environment. The patented auto insurance device would measure everything from the driver’s vital signs to weather conditions to car stereo volume. The insurance giant claims that the device would “better equip (drivers) to drive safe.” However, some groups have claimed that the device can spy on drivers and allow Allstate to use sensitive data for potentially malicious purposes.

Details of the Auto Insurance Device

Allstate filed the patent for the auto insurance device, titled “Traffic-based Driving Analysis,”on August 11. The device would reportedly access many of the cameras, monitors, and information systems already programmed into most modern vehicles. The auto insurance device would track the driver’s behavior and transmit the data to a server at Allstate, all in real time. An Allstate representative told reporters that the device would allow the company to send the driver coupons and promotional materials based on the driving habits the device recorded.

Auto Insurance Device Tracks Driver Vitals, Behavior

The auto insurance device could potentially measure the driver’s vital signs, including heart rate, blood pressure, and blood alcohol content. The device could also track the driver’s eyeline, seating position, and whether the driver was talking or texting on a phone while driving. The auto insurance device would also inform the carrier about the environmental within the vehicle that could distract the driver. These factors include stereo volume, food, animals or children riding in the vehicle.

Could Allstate Sell Auto Insurance Device Data?

A recent statement from Allstate’s CEO raised questions on whether the insurance titan would sell customer data gathered from its new auto insurance device to third parties. Allstate CEO Tom Wilson told a Bloomberg reporter that he wants to “take apart” critics who call the insurance industry “sleepy” and “not really smart”. Hundreds of companies, ranging from banks and credit card issuers to social networking and technology giants, have been embroiled in controversies surrounding the sale of sensitive customer data.

Auto Insurance Device’s Potential for Spying Raises Complaints

A former member of the Texas Insurance Commission raised concerns about the new auto insurance device and its potential for gathering sensitive data. J. Robert Hunter, currently the insurance director for the Consumer Federation of America, told the Chicago Tribune that the Allstate auto insurance device was “intrusive technology.” Since the device can reportedly record data outside the vehicle, as well as inside it, Mr. Hunter claimed that the device could spy “on unsuspecting passengers and even on unsuspecting pedestrians or cars driving by”.

Source: Insurance Business Magazine

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NOTE: This post is a news story and does not imply an endorsement of Arguello Law Firm by Allstate Insurance, its subsidiaries, parent companies, executives or any other concerned parties.