Automatic App Tracks Driving Habits, Fuel, Parking

A new electronic device promises to help drivers tailor their driving habits in order to save money on fuel.

The device, which is called "Automatic" and developed by a company of the same name, plugs into your car's computer socket. Most cars have this type of socket if the vehicle was made after 1996. The socket connects directly to the car's onboard computer, and is typically located under the steering wheel, not far from the gas and brake pedals.

Users then pair Automatic's hardware device with a special smartphone application that is compatible with both Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms.

Automatic Collects Data About Driving Behavior

After the device is installed, Automatic collects information about your driving habits. It then shows drivers how they can improve their gas mileage, such as braking easier, accelerating slower, and not speeding. (Source: techhive.com)

Automatic can also display detailed information about a driving week, from how much to how far the vehicle was driven. Automatic then tallies up scores of driving habits every single week, with the aim of helping users to progressively improve their gas mileage.

There's more to the idea than just saving gas, however. It can also be used to help diagnose 'check engine' codes, track where you parked your car, display miles per gallon (MPG) used on a particular trip, and can even use the smartphone's built-in accelerometer to detect a serious collision and then alert the authorities. (Source: automatic.com)

The Automatic device costs about $100, though the company behind it claims drivers will save many times that in fuel costs over the long haul.

"Usage-based Insurance" Uses Similar Tracking System

The idea behind Automatic might sound familiar to drivers who have been paying attention to recent changes in the automotive insurance industry. Right now there are a number of insurers, including Progressive, that are testing a system called "usage-based insurance", also known as pay as you drive (PAYD) and pay how you drive (PHYD), and mile-based auto insurance.

Just like Automatic, Usage-based insurance (UBI) uses a similar device to track driving behavior. In the case of Usage-based insurance, however, driving data is automatically sent wirelessly to the driver's insurance company, rather than a smartphone. The information is then used to calculate a more accurate insurance premium defined by the insurance company.

Tracking and relaying driving habits to insurance companies has raised much debate in recent weeks, however. Opponents say it not only infringes upon privacy, but there are fears that auto insurance companies may misuse the data and raise premiums unfairly. There are also fears that cybercriminals or government agencies could potentially access the tracking information to illegally track a person's location. (Source: driving.ca)

With that said, it's also possible that Automatic could be programmed to share the information it collects with insurance companies in a future release of its smartphone app software, although there has been no speculation or claims from the company to date to state exactly this.

What's Your Opinion?

Aside from the potential privacy risks, do you like the idea behind Automatic? What do you think about usage-based insurance and the relaying of driving habits to insurance companies? Do you think these kinds of tracking-based systems will make driving safer, or just the opposite? Or are you concerned that such systems could be exploited by spy agencies and cyber-crooks?