Connected cars and those equipped with cutting-edge technologies are leading the market today. Everything from back-up cameras with sensors to GPS systems that know your route home and can open the garage as soon as you enter your driveway –  are all taking our in-car experiences to the next level.

What happens though, when the car you’ve relied on to not only get you to and from work but also to dial phone calls for you while you sit in traffic or store your favorite song line-up, is totaled in an accident or sold and no longer yours?

Connected cars are, in fact, some of the most targeted vehicles for a security breach. The Upstream Security Automotive Cybersecurity Report 2019, found a six-fold increase in automotive cyber-attacks from 2010 – 2018.

If you’ve ever sat at the car wash and tried to make a phone call with your device in the waiting room only to find out the speaker in your car was broadcasting the call in the garage, then you know how important paying attention to privacy is with these new high-tech features in your vehicle.

Typically, when a car is totaled in an accident, a tow truck will immediately take it away from the scene and drive it to a dedicated lot. Here it will either remain for days until you can take it out or for the insurance to assess the damage. Sometimes those cars are even sold off for salvage or put in auctions and could end up in the hands of anyone.  Hopefully, there are protocols to reset the car to factory defaults so that your information is no longer stored.

Auto policies do not provide coverage if your personal information is stolen.  However, if you’re worried about your personal information stored in your car getting into the wrong hands, you can purchase Identity Theft & Cyber Insurance coverage from your homeowner or tenant policy. Or obtain a service that can remove all of the identifiable information from your car for example, when it’s totaled. This can keep your data safe from identity theft attempts and give you the ultimate peace of mind.

If you’re enjoying the advancements of technology in your vehicle but want an insurance policy that backs you up, talk and an agent at Petruzelo today!