March 30, 2016—The Auto Care Association (ACA) and the Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE) announced Tuesday its support of the intent of R.I. House Bill 7711 that would require automakers to provide car owners with the ability to control where information transmitted by vehicle telematics systems is sent.
The bill is being considered by the Rhode Island House Legislature.
The ACA and CARE acknowledge the benefit of telematics in the auto care industry, however, the associations stated, ““All of the data available from embedded systems currently goes to the vehicle manufacturer, allowing them, and only them, to reap the benefits of this technology. Specifically, armed with the extensive data about a customer’s vehicle, combined with the means to communicate directly with the driver in real time, the vehicle manufacturer has the ability to steer the motorists to the dealership or to a service establishment that may be a strong purchaser of their parts and information. While our associations both applaud and support the goal of HB 7711, at this time we cannot support passage.”
The associations testified that a collaborative effort would be faster and more effective than passing legislation. The ACA and CARE are working as a part of the Aftermarket Telematics Taskforce to find common ground with automakers.
