John P. Mello Jr. reports:
For many drivers, the cockpit of their car is a sanctum sanctorum, a place where privacy is sacrosanct. That’s becoming less so, however, as high-tech gadgets are introduced to find out what you’re doing behind the wheel.
For instance, American Family Insurance in Madison, Wis., has a voluntary program that monitors the activity inside a car through a video camera, with audio, located in the rearview mirror. The program is designed to improve the driving habits of teenagers, but anyone in the driver’s seat is fair game for the camera.
The system reacts to erratic driving behavior. So if a driver slams on the brakes, swerves abruptly or hits something, a 20-second video clip is sent to analysts at the insurance company then forwarded to the household, where the family can review it and discuss how to avoid a reprise of the action in the future.
Read more on PCWorld.