September 7, 20179 yr Just recently got a letter from my car insurance company giving me the option to sign up for a way to "possibly lower my rates". By signing up for an this new app that monitors your driving habits, you will right off the bat save 5%, and then through the app, and the accompanying blue tooth beacon that they send you to keep in your car, they monitor your habits, and if you really don't drive many miles, you could save more on your rates. The beacon determines where you are, your speed, if you ever have to quickly apply your brakes...and it also requires you to have a phone with a flash cam so that you can take well lit pics of your odometer to send to them for proof of your miles. It said in the letter that it realizes that every once in a while everyone will have to apply their brakes quickly for unfortunate situations that arise while driving. What the letter didn't elaborate on, (which you obviously could read between the lines), is that if they deem you high risk perhaps regarding your speed etc....they could then raise your rates, or maybe even drop you due to what this app reports about your habits? My guess is that they can, and will, and is likely the main reason for this app to begin with, although they never say so. Initially the idea intrigued me because I probably only drive my car about 250-300 miles a month if that much, and though they didn't really say how much I could save, I've no doubt I'd be a candidate to do so. I'm not high risk either as I'm a very careful driver, nor am I a speed demon. Though I might at times sound like a radical rebel, on the road I completely believe in, and abide by the rules of the road because they are indeed in place to keep you from getting killed. The way others don't is a big time pet peeve of mine. If I wanted to sign up I'd need my phone to have a flash, which it doesn't so unless I get a new phone, I'm out, however I'm sorta glad because I have a hunch that my savings would not be too grand anyhow, yet with all of the times I hit clubs to see bands, I just bet this app will conclude that I'm in bars all the time drinking, and then driving, which is really not true. I've gone many many times to see a band and left the booze alone, and if I do have a drink, I limit myself to avoid being buzzed by the time the show is over. How do I prove that, and again though the letter never said so, I just bet this is another way they keep an eye on your habits. Has your insurance company offered this new app to you??? I'm guessing that before long all of them will. BTW got another letter about 2 weeks later that my rates had gone up 5% ...isn't that just a hoot? So even if I signed up for this to save 5%, I'm not really saving 5%.
September 7, 20179 yr Author Big Brother! And no chance... Though they don't say it, I believe that it is more for them than it is for you.
September 7, 20179 yr Though they don't say it, I believe that it is more for them than it is for you. Way, way, way more for them.
September 8, 20179 yr Umm no way, I'm waiting now for what I expect are a few Tickets from Traffic Cameras that I noticed too late on my trip out west last week. No way I'm giving my insurance company that kind of view my driving habits. While my wife and daughter make fun of me for driving too slow around town, I do not have that problem when I'm on a loooooong drive on an interstate.
September 8, 20179 yr State Farm uses the "beacon" you mentioned in your initial post. I recently switched to SF within the past 2 months, and I signed up for this feature. Bring it on, Big Brother, I got nothing to hide. My agent told me it could not result in an increase in your rate, only a discount. He also told me he had a client who insured a classic car of some kind that he rarely drives. He ended up with about a 40% discount on that car.
September 8, 20179 yr Big Brother! And no chance... Completely agree. They would need to give me a much larger discount than 5% for me to budge on that.
September 8, 20179 yr I receive something from State Farm about once a year about this.....Never gonna happen with me.
September 8, 20179 yr I did Snapshot with Progresive and it lowered my rate. What's it like to be that paranoid all the time?
September 8, 20179 yr No way. I despise insurance companies. If I pay to be insured and don't have a claim, why don't they give my money back? I've paid tens of thousands in premiums for auto and home and not a single claim. Yes. I'm an 'aggressive' driver. I admit it. However, no need to confirm it with data.
September 8, 20179 yr Yes. I'm an 'aggressive' driver. I admit it. However, no need to confirm it with data. I consider myself an aggressive driver as well, my premium still went down.
September 8, 20179 yr I did Snapshot with Progresive and it lowered my rate. What's it like to be that paranoid all the time? I just assume they are going to use it to screw me down the road somehow so I'd never do it.
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