State Farm, the largest auto insurer in the country, has introduced a new feature that allows Toyota and Lexus drivers to instantly share crash data with their insurance company. This technology is part of a larger trend in the insurance industry, where companies use connected-car technology to verify crashes, send help faster, and settle claims more quickly.

How it Works

Eligible customers with 2020 or newer Toyota and Lexus models can authorize a one-time transfer of crash data after an accident using the State Farm app. The data includes direction of travel, vehicle speed, point of impact, and crash location displayed on a map. State Farm says it accesses only data from the specific date and time of the accident and uses this information to resolve the claim without affecting the driver’s future rates or premiums.

Other insurers, such as USAA, Progressive, and Liberty Mutual, are also expanding their use of connected vehicle devices. USAA uses crash detection in its SafePilot ecosystem to automatically capture details such as the time, location, and severity of impact. Progressive can detect serious crashes and use digital crash data to initiate repair and claims workflows sooner.

Privacy Concerns

The growth of connected-vehicle data has raised concerns about consumer privacy. Earlier this year, General Motors discontinued its Smart Driver program after reports revealed that the manufacturer had shared driving behavior data with third-party data brokers. State Farm’s new claims feature attempts to distinguish itself from those continuous-monitoring programs by asking for customer permission only after a crash and gathering information only from that specific event.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.