The Auto Care Association’s “Your Car. Your Data. Your Choice.” campaign was a major sponsor of the Clay Millican-driven Parts Plus Top Fuel dragster for the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee.

Millican is one of the spokespeople for the initiative, and the resulting exposure tripled the number of signatures for the petition, according to the association.

Currently, only automakers have direct access to vehicle data, which gives them the ability to sell the data to third parties without the consumer’s consent or knowledge. Vehicle data is especially important for maintenance and repair, affecting not only consumers but also independent repair facilities. If vehicle manufacturers control who has access to the data, they can restrict the number of places a motorist can take their vehicle for service, resulting in a more expensive option or inconvenient location, according to the association.

“Partnering with the Auto Care Association on the ‘Your Car. Your Data. Your Choice.’ initiative is not only the right thing to do for our industry, but it has definitely borne fruit for our business,” said David Prater, president of the Automotive Distribution Network. “Customers are rewarding us for supporting this cause with increased business. Both the technician community and the car owners are beginning to understand how important this is on both a business and a personal level.”

The campaign continues to generate public awareness around car data – what it is, why it’s important and its implications for consumer choice. To join the movement and help ensure vehicle owners and drivers have the power to take control of the data their vehicles collect, visit https://yourcaryourdata.org/.