WOULD YOU LET YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY TRACK YOU?
Auto Insurers Offer Discounts to Monitor Your Driving
by LA’s mayor, Eric Garcetti. Whoever was dubbed Safest Driver in Los Angeles also received a $20,000 prize.
Would you let your auto insurance company monitor your daily driving? In 2019, The New York Times reported on the “safest driver in Los Angeles.” The story followed Deborra Sarei, an LA resident who took part in an experiment and contest sponsored by USAA and the city of Los Angeles. The goal was to promote safer driving. How do you determine who is the safest driver? Sarei and thousands of other participants had to download an app onto their smartphone. The app tracked their driving, including speed, braking, acceleration, and cornering. The app also tracked distractions related to the phone like texting and calling.
USAA currently offers discounts to policyholders who sign up for the mobile tracking app and use it according to USAA’s terms of service. Policyholders can see up to 20% discounts on their premium. The better the driver, the better the discount. Other auto insurance companies offer similar discounts in exchange for tracking data. They say the tracking is meant to promote safer driving and users will not be penalized with higher premiums if they drive poorly. They just won’t receive a discount on their policy. Some states prohibit insurers from offering policies based on driving habits, but in others, like California, there is talk of change. Some regulators want to make it easier for insurers to charge based on driving habits. As it stands, these types of programs are opt-in only, so you don’t have to worry about being tracked by your insurer. Are you willing to share your driving habits with your insurer? There are many questions about how the data might be used, both by the insurer and law enforcement, should they get the data. Ultimately, it comes down to your willingness to trade privacy for small discounts on your premiums.
Anytime Sarei was driving, the app had to be active. She says her driving habits changed — she did everything by the book and self-monitored her driving behavior far more than she did before being tracked.
Sarei was part of a group of 11,500 other drivers who all opted to share their location and tracking data with USAA’s mobile app. The experiment was part of a contest sponsored by the insurer and promoted
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RATATOUILLE Cooking With Ashley
Inspired by Bon Appétit
Rich with fresh, colorful ingredients, ratatouille is a French dish that has experienced a revolution of its own in recent years. Enjoy this vegan-friendly spin on an old-world classic.
Ingredients
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1 eggplant, peeled and chopped 1 large zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch- thick rounds
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1 large onion, halved and sliced 1/2-inch thick 1 red bell pepper, chopped
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2 tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, sliced 2 pints cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup olive oil, divided
5 sprigs thyme
Directions
1. Heat oven to 400 F. 2. In a colander, toss eggplant, zucchini, and salt. Let sit for 30 minutes and pat dry. 3. In an ovenproof pot, heat 1/2 cup olive oil. Add half of eggplant mixture, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Remove vegetables from pot. 4. Tie thyme sprigs together with kitchen twine. 5. In the same pot, heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil, and cook onion, pepper, garlic, and thyme for 8–10 minutes. 6. Add half the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. 7. Stir in original eggplant and zucchini mixture and top with remaining tomatoes. Do not stir. 8. Transfer pot to oven and bake mixture for 15–20 minutes. 9. Remove pot from oven and remove thyme bundle before serving.
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