What does a telematics app actually track?

The common factors are mileage, speed, braking and acceleration, the time of day you drive, and phone handling while the car is moving. The exact list and how each factor is weighted vary by carrier, and the program terms disclose both.

Mileage is the quiet heavyweight. Traditional policies price on the annual mileage you estimate, and estimates are often wrong. The app measures it, which is why genuinely low-mileage drivers tend to benefit most from these programs.

Phone handling has become the factor insurers care about most, because distracted driving keeps rising. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration counted 3,208 deaths from distracted driving in 2024, and industry research cited by the Insurance Information Institute found phone screen interaction on 58 percent of trips in 2022. The app can tell when the phone is being handled while the vehicle moves, and that signal is weighted heavily in most scores.

On privacy: the data is collected under the program terms you accept at enrollment, and those terms state how long it is kept and what it is used for, including whether it can be used in claims. Several states require insurers to disclose tracking practices. Reading those terms is part of how we place coverage, and participation is voluntary in every program available through us.

Related: Telematics in Georgia: who actually saves, Can a telematics program raise my rate?, insurance facts and sources.