California bill ensures access to telematics

Legislation (SB 994) has been introduced in California that aims to provide control for vehicle owners on data generated by vehicle telematic systems, according to the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA). Introduced by State Senator Bill Monning, D-Carmel, SB 994 aims to address concerns that extensive information regarding a vehicle, including diagnostic and mileage driven and GPS information, is sent to vehicle manufacturers without the knowledge of car owners. Specifically, the bill would:

• Ensure that car companies disclose to consumers that they have a telematic system on their vehicle and what types of information are generated by the system.
• Require that the telematics system has the ability to securely transmit the vehicle information generated by that system to a person or entity selected by the owner of the motor vehicle.

Currently, the bill is being promoted by AAA of Northern California, Nevada and Utah and the Automobile Club of Southern California, and is likely to receive extensive attention in Sacramento. The bill is strongly opposed by the vehicle manufacturers and new car dealers, who have charged that AAA wants access to the data for their auto insurance business.

AAIA is currently studying the bill to determine whether it will provide for secure access to the vehicle for auto care companies seeking to provide telematic services for their customers. The language of the bill can be viewed at: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/13-14/bill/sen/sb_0951-1000/sb_994_bill_20140317_amended_sen_v98.pdf.