Government Technology - September 2007 - (Page 51)

“We will be able to look where the car entered certain quadrants during peak hours, and the insurance will be adjusted depending on when they enter those specific areas on the GIS maps.” Ron Sims, executive, King County, Wash. doesn’t,” Lopez said, “and we hope to be able to build a model of action around the program so other jurisdictions can use it as well.” PAYD is one component of King County’s efforts to minimize its impact on the environment, he said, which is formally called the King County Climate Plan. “It’s a comprehensive plan to try to get our region to climate stabilization, which we define as 80 percent below current levels, by 2050, and Pay-as-You-Drive is identified in the plan as one strategic action we can take. “If the program is successful,” he continued, “it could be one strategy we use to reduce our dependency on single occupancy vehicles, or at least to reduce the amount of vehicles miles traveled we use in cars that burn fossil fuels.” Lopez also emphasized that PAYD would be an optional package, which may not be suited for everyone. “There are benefits to folks who have fixed-cost insurance,” he said. “If you drive a lot, then you have some stability in your understanding of what your bill is going to be, as opposed to a variable-cost model.” The pilot is the fruit of a public-private partnership between the county, the Washington Department of Transportation and Unigard Insurance Co. It’s made possible by a $1.9 million Federal Pricing and Congestion Management Air Quality grant from the Federal Highway Administration, and more than $3 million in matching funds from Unigard. The insurance company, county and various project supporters will work jointly to promote the program, but with the recent hike in gas prices, Sims said recruiting volunteers shouldn’t be too difficult. “They are going to want to avoid the higher gas cost, and now they can get a good reduction on their insurance premiums,” he explained. “We think it’s going to be a very successful program.” GPS Advantage PAYD is not entirely new — Japan, England and Texas use similar programs — but before GPS technology came along, measuring the results of such a program was much less accurate. In the past, random odometer checks and drivers’ good-faith reporting of miles driven were the methods employed to monitor the number of miles a vehicle was driven. But GPS technology does much more than simply ensure an accurate mileage count; it opens the doors to myriad other parameters that can be used to create insurance plans that fit a wide variety of driving habits. For instance, Unigard also plans to monitor vehicle speed, which could theoretically lead to added savings for drivers who take it slow. At the same time, the ability to gather such detailed information raises privacy concerns. A priori, the program has some good points, said Doug Klunder, privacy project director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington State. “If they’re collecting only the information necessary for the stated purpose, which is looking at mileage, I don’t have a whole lot of concerns about knowing that person X has driven 10 miles this day, 20 miles this day. That’s just not very sensitive information.” On the other hand, he said, the more information is gathered, the more problematic the issue becomes. “When you really get someone’s travels in detail — that tells you a whole lot about that person.” In the case of King County’s PAYD program, Unigard, which will be selecting the pilot’s GPS vendor, is already considering ways to ease drivers’ worries. “Obviously we recognize that there are potential privacy concerns the customers would have,” said Anne Smith, a spokeswoman for Unigard. “We’re looking at what options there would be for how this information gets reported into the insurance company and whether consumers would be able to opt out if they didn’t want the information looked at.” In one scenario, Smith said, drivers could deal directly with the vendor and choose what information will be shared with the insurance company, but nothing’s set in stone yet. “Those details,” she added, “haven’t been worked out because it’s a little too early.” For those concerned with how the government might use the data, Sims said the county will not see drivers’ information firsthand. “The insurance company will be handling the data, and then it will be shared,” he said. “We won’t have data on the individuals; we will have aggregate data.” Klunder, however, said there should still be concerns about where the detailed data will reside and who will have access to it. “[If] it’s still maintained someplace, then that means there will be access to it under some circumstances — whether it’s a court order or some other law enforce- King County residents and visitors have an online tool to make using mass transit easier. The King County Metro Transit Trip Planner tripplanner.metrokc.gov allows potential riders to go online to plan excursions in the area. Users enter departure address, destination address, time and date of the planned trip, and the Web site returns several itineraries directing ment access,” he said, adding that riders to the protocols could be implemented to appropriate stops. regulate the data use. “But one of the dangers there,” he cautioned, “is that protocols change over time.” Given the recent rash of security breaches hitting the federal government, states and the private sector, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to truly protect information, Klunder said. “The only real protection is to get rid of that information and only store the aggregate information.” A key aspect of the program, Sims reminded, is that it’s purely optional, and drivers’ information won’t be gathered against their will. “The individual is not compelled to do this. It’s an all-volunteer program. If people wish to benefit, they will use the technology,” he said. “It’s being offered as an alternative package, saying, ‘If you want lower insurance rates, here is how the insurance company protects itself, and here is how you receive the benefits.’” CONTRIBUTING WRITER CORINE STOFLE IS BASED IN SACRAMENTO, CALIF. SHE ALSO WRITES FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE. j 51 http://tripplanner.metrokc.gov http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - September 2007

Contents Point of View Big Picture ESRI Insert The Last Mile GT Spectrum Profile Nuclear Revival Way Back Machine Intel Insert Tale of TIERS Joining Forces Saving Seniors Site Seeing Quarter Miles Two Cents Products Signal: Noise Digital Communities Contents Our Road Ahead Course of Action Shared Interests Special Report: Foundation for the Future Using Wireless to Save Lives Smart Grids for Energy Conservation Community Governing and Wizards

Government Technology - September 2007

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