Article: Keeping tabs on drivers of rentalcars

IHT: Keeping tabs on drivers of rentalcars - The International Herald Tribune reports today on the use of telematics devices in rental cars.

Car rental companies have come to rely on an emerging technology called telematics - which combines satellite-based Global Positioning System tracking, wireless communications and vehicle monitoring systems - to keep tabs on their vehicles. About a quarter of the rental cars in the United States are equipped with tracking technology, analysts estimate. The industry views telematics as a way to enforce its contracts, but some customers regard it, at best, as a means to make more money and, at worst, as an invasion of privacy.

A variation of this story is also reported in today's Toronto Star. The TorStar version is more useful for Canadian readers as it reports on the practices of Hertz, Budget and Avis.