GM wants to monitor your driving in exchange for lower insurance costs

Many automakers have come to embrace the Digital Age and are making their vehicles much more connected, and General Motors is no exception. However, what separates its newest “connected car” feature from other features is the fact that it’s completely voluntary. By allowing the company’s OnStar service to monitor your driving and assess your abilities, it could lower your insurance costs.

GM’s cars are increasingly connected, and the automaker is coming up with some clever (if not always comforting) ways to put that data to use. Its OnStar badge has just unveiled a pair of services that promise to save you money if you’re willing to share some of your driving activity. To start, it’s launching an optional driver-assessment program in the US that studies your skills over 90 days and offers not only feedback, but also lower insurance rates (through Progressive) for good driving. In theory, this is a big incentive to drive responsibly, whether you’re a newcomer or want to brush up on your road manners — so long as you’re fine with the car tracking your behavior, at least. You’ll have to wait until the summer to give it a try, but it’ll be available for all 2016 GM vehicles, most 2015 models and a handful of 2013 and 2014 cars.