Earlier this summer at a technology conference, I heard about an innovative program in the U.K. to tie the cost of auto insurance to the miles driven by a driver. Norwich Union, the U.K.'s largest insurance group, has a Web page descibing this option. The program leverages the location services available in today's mobile phones to track drivers' movements. If this makes enough sense, and if privacy concerns don't torpedo it, we'll see the idea spread worldwide, having a beneficial effect on encouraging alternatives to getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.