California is the only state that does not allow real-time driving data to be collected in a telematics programs to lower insurance. 

Saving lives and saving money usually pull against each other. Every so often, they don’t.

California is sitting on one of those rare win-win opportunities: a voluntary, no-cost approach proven to prevent vehicle crashes and lower the cost of driving at the same time. Drivers in 49 states already have access to it. Californians are literally the only ones who don’t.

So, why is the state still stuck in the slow lane? 

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It comes down to outdated restrictions against telematics programs, which give drivers a way to lower their auto insurance costs by voluntarily sharing data about how they drive. Through a smartphone app, in-vehicle device, or built-in vehicle technology, insurers can see behaviors like speeding, hard braking and phone use. Drivers who demonstrate safer habits are rewarded with lower premiums.

The technology behind the idea has existed for more than 30 years, and millions of drivers nationwide already benefit from it. But a 1980s ballot measure that was designed for a very different era is holding California back.

Proposition 103 was a genuine consumer protection achievement when it passed. But it was written before smartphones, before GPS, before any of the tools that now make personalized, voluntary safety programs possible.While the ballot measure never mentions telematics, it strictly limits the factors auto insurance companies can use to set premiums, tying them to drivers’ DMV ticket records and at-fault crash histories. This forces insurers to rely on drivers’ previous habits, rather than evaluating how they drive today. Prop 103 has thus........

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