Driving Metrics
With the advent of all the car technology: self parking, snooze driving, etc. I think what car manufacturers should focus on next is driving metrics. Generate a daily report (resets to “new driving period” after 5-6 hrs of non-activity) that shows how often I changed lanes or turned without a turn signal, how many times I downshifted, calculate my average in-city mileage speed, etc. Give me a report card on my driving so I can improve my personal driving performance and my car’s performance. Also, if I so choose, I could send my report to the insurance companies on a monthly basis (or quarterly basis) to actually “prove” I’m a safe driver and pay less. [Side note: I wonder, how do the insurance companies calculate safe driver discounts? Just because you're not directly involved in an accident doesn't prove you're a safe driver or that you didn't cause any accidents. Also, I’m not sure why metrics like “home owner” qualify drivers for discounts; there has to be a correlation between reckless home buyers (think recent housing bubble history) and reckless drivers right?]
Anyway, the other reason I suggest this is simply because I was intensely pissed yesterday because I counted no less than five different drivers yesterday that made turns without their turn signal. So yes, my necessity is the mother of this invention.
(Update: it appears Progressive launched just a device!)