I received a notice from State Farm offering me a 5 percent discount on my insurance if I download their application called "Drive Safe and Save Mobile." According to their literature it then calculates any additional discount based on exactly how many miles you drive and how safely you drive them.

Clearly, they are wanting data in exchange for a slight discount. I am wondering if this is worth the bother. It is unclear as to what data they collect and how they are going to use that. The staff in my agent's office does not seem to be very knowledgeable, and am waiting to hear back from the agent.

Does anyone have any inside information on this new program? Have any SigForum members utilized it?Thanks

I would tell them to pound sand.

As well as tracking how many miles you drive that app will likely send them info on your speed, sudden stops, fast starts.

I don't know what data will be sent them. The above is an educated guess on how these programs seem to work overall.

No way for a 5% discount but that's just me.

Too intrusive. Don't do it.

I have a low mileage coverage vehicle with State Farm I fill out a quarterly mileage form.
They are not interested in your mileage as they could just ask for odometer snapshots on occasion.
They are wanting the rest of the data.

NOPE, NOPE, NOPE, AND MORE NOPE!

quote:

Originally posted by comet24:
I would tell them to pound sand.

As well as tracking how many miles you drive that app will likely send them info on your speed, sudden stops, fast starts.

I don't know what data will be sent them. The above is an educated guess on how these programs seem to work overall.

No way for a 5% discount but that's just me.

+100! Every time I get that literature in the mail with my bill, I toss it in the garbage. No amount of discount would I give them access to that data.

quote:

Originally posted by comet24:
I would tell them to pound sand.

As well as tracking how many miles you drive that app will likely send them info on your speed, sudden stops, fast starts.

I don't know what data will be sent them. The above is an educated guess on how these programs seem to work overall.

No way for a 5% discount but that's just me.

I'm with State Farm and have opted NOT to participate in that program for exactly those reasons.

What are they going to do with that data?


Are they going to start dinging your rates for speed, fast start/stops or behavior their app determines is excessive/unsafe?

That sounds real "Progressive" of them.

BTW, we're with State Farm and have been for years. Haven't heard anything about this from our agent.

Nope, nope, nope, and hell no. There is no way that's ever going to work in your favor.

Here's how I see that going: We're sorry Mr. ZSMICHAEL, our tracking info indicates you were traveling at 26mph when little Johnny came out of that side street in your neighborhood on his bicycle. As you know the speed limit on that street is 25mph. Therefore we're ascribing to you a higher percentage of responsiblity in this matter, for which you'll be liable.

And while we're at it, screw State Farm in general. I'm dumping them at the end of this month. They've raised my rates every six-month premium period with out any driving changes (tickets or claims) for the last three renewals. When I challenged them on it they said, "We've had to cover a lot of claims in Nevada." So I said, "Lemme see if I got this right. You mean to tell me when other folks wreck their cars, my rate goes up, and if I wreck my car the rate goes up?" She said matter-of-factly, "Yup" and I said, "This will be the last time."

Get this, they called me the other day to tell me it's going up again in September. No it ain't, I already got other quotes for the same coverage at almost ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS A MONTH CHEAPER. Screw them.

It's safe to take off your tinfoil hat. I had State Farms Drive Safe and Save plug-in module for a few years until they switched to the app. I assume that the app does the same thing as the module I had, i.e. track where you drive, how fast, how fast you start/stop/turn. All things you would want to know if you were a parent. I never felt that my driving history was being misused. I no longer subscribe because I don't have smart phone service-that's the only reason.

I was offered the same discount. No freaking way. I can imagine being denied a claim because I was going 2 mph over the speed limit.

quote:

Originally posted by remsig:

quote:

Originally posted by comet24:
I would tell them to pound sand.

As well as tracking how many miles you drive that app will likely send them info on your speed, sudden stops, fast starts.

I don't know what data will be sent them. The above is an educated guess on how these programs seem to work overall.

No way for a 5% discount but that's just me.

+100! Every time I get that literature in the mail with my bill, I toss it in the garbage. No amount of discount would I give them access to that data.

I don't have State Farm but I've always wanted to get one of these driver tracking devices/apps and use it in my police car. I wonder how fast they'd call to cancel my coverage.

NSA just won't leave us alone.

quote:

And while we're at it, screw State Farm in general. I'm dumping them at the end of this month. They've raised my rates every six-month premium period with out any driving changes (tickets or claims) for the last three renewals. When I challenged them on it they said, "We've had to cover a lot of claims in Nevada." So I said, "Lemme see if I got this right. You mean to tell me when other folks wreck their cars, my rate goes up, and if I wreck my car the rate goes up?" She said matter-of-factly, "Yup" and I said, "This will be the last time."

You are going to find this with almost any insurer currently.

I spoke with my agent as my rates got raised (granted only once). In all my 19 years of driving my rates have never increased even with an at fault collision, speeding ticket, and when they provided my attorney in a lawsuit.

I asked what the deal was. this past year was the first time in over 30 years State Farm as a whole has lost money on automobile claims.
New cars cost so much to fix and are being totaled at a vastly high rate compared to years past. All the insurance companies are taking hits as none of them planned for this.
State Farm bumped everyone up 10% across the board folks with bad driving got much more.
My agent went from averaging 4 total losses a month for 30 years to 4 total losses a WEEK!!!

Refuse it. As noted it is an intrusive data collection method so they can tell where you went, how far you drove and how fast you got there. That minor discount will disappear and more costs will be added if they find out you drive too far or too fast.

I was offered the same deal and called my agent to tell them how much I was disappointed they would ever think of offering such a prying device.

I have insured 38 years worth of vehicles through State Farm. They had my homeowners insurance since the day I bought my house. They have life insurance and wedding ring rider as well.....and I dumped them. I gave Zander Insurance a call, this is who Dave Ramsey recommends. I increased all my coverages, decreased my premiums and I don't have any spy devices in my vehicles. Wish I had done this years ago!!!!

quote:

I have a low mileage coverage vehicle with State Farm I fill out a quarterly mileage form.

I'm in the same program with state farm. But all I do is have a Sync Vehicle health report run twice a year and get the low mileage discount.

quote:

posted August 17, 2017 04:48 PM Hide Post
I have a low mileage coverage vehicle with State Farm I fill out a quarterly mileage form.

quote:

Zander Insurance

Zander is not an insurance company but brokers.

Funny you should mention this.

My AllState agent called me today to review my policies. My policy renews in 30 days.

They have the same sort of app. She told me I'd never have any problem with it, blah blah blah, and AllState would NEVER use the information it gave them against me. It would just make me a safer driver. Yeah, bullpuckey.

All this for a piddly 3% discount. No thanks, I'll pay the extra 3%. Screw that.

Progressive has had that feature for years . they started with the adapter for the data port. Now they changed it to use the smartphone features.

Down side is the cost for very little in the way of a discount.

Until they add a zero on that 5, they can suck it.

Long time SF person here.