Really? I would not allow my insurance company to track my driving, but if you are looking forward to the savings, then it's good for you! Are they tracking your speed, miles driven or what?

Hard braking, fast take-offs, neither of which I do. Driving after 2am, etc.

A number of companies offer it.

I'm happy for you!

I'm more along the line of socks, except I'm very wary of those. I think I drive pretty well. So what happens if you don't drive well by the insurance company standards? Oy! From one of the many articles out there:Joe Manna review

Using Snapshot Against You

When opting into the Snapshot program, you also let Progressive to use the data they recorded against you in the event of a claim. For a majority of people, this won’t be a problem, but it should at least a little concerning that you are giving your insurance company full control to use the data to adversely impact the outcome of your claim or policy premiums [my emphasis]. Hypothetically, if you were going faster than the posted speed limit at the time of a claim, how do you think that will fare in your defense? This concern goes both ways; you can use the data to support your claim if you were driving safely.

Your premiums won't go up, if you're an unsafe driver. This is a savings program. I consider myself a safe driver (and have been told such my riders).

I also use snow tires which is also a discount.

As far as driving the posted speed limit, I would also think that keeping up with traffic flow would be a good driver. If the posted speed limit is 100km (on our 400 series roads) and the traffic flow is 120km which is standard, I would keep up with the flow. Same as doing 100 in a 90 (our local expressway). 120km, no, even though other drivers do it. I'll let them pass me and have them get nicked 30km above the speed limit. I also have speed-control which I will use ;-)

No accidents or speeding tickets, ever. Just one parking ticket in Toronto.

This is off their website:

The Collected Data will not be used to:

• cancel your policy;
• refuse to renew your policy;
• increase your premium;
• confirm rating criteria (e.g., where vehicle is principally garaged, distance driven, pleasure/commute/business use); or
• process or deny claims.

Oh, I'm talking about down the line. Later on. Some sneaky way. "Oh no. We're giving an across the board premium increase" "We're cancelling all the polices in California". Not in an aboveboard way.

I assume those things will become required equipment at some point. I dread that. I have no tickets or accidents, don't drive fast, or break hard, but that doesn't stop me from thinking that an ordinary citizen's definition of a "good driver" and theirs may not match. If you read the link I posted, he gave several examples of Progressives 7.1 MPH slow down goal for reasonable breaking deceleration, as unreasonable.

Where does the little doo-dad plug in?

Lindsey there's a little slot beneath the steering column........where mechanics plug in the diagnostics machine.

I called my insurance company and asked if it kept track of speeding or if it beeps annoyingly when I hit the brakes, as per the article Robin posted.

None. No beeping at all, speeding is not recorded. The agent I spoke to did it and he got a 14% savings. I'm just going to drive normally and let it do it's thing. I can track online how I'm doing.

Here, they promised that the cameras installed on the roadways was just for monitoring traffic. Primarily, it is. They figure out where the tie-ups are, etc. But you bet they also use them for law enforcement purposes. If it's there, they use it. I'm law abiding and a careful driver, but I don't like anything that smacks of nanny state.

I'm glad you're happy with the bargain, however. You've chosen it with awareness, which is all that matters. :)

Plugs into the diagnostic port - same place a mechanic uses for computer diagnostics and to read what's up when diagnostic trouble codes get thrown.

Anyone who wants to waste their time tracking me can do so with enough money on the table. Except for the periodic cross-metro or road trips I take. For those, I'd prefer there be no record of my travel speed.

A Google search brought up some interesting information on this dongle. Apparently no thought was given to security, so they're easily hacked. Data isn't encrypted when sent (a minor and perhaps only theoretical problem). More concerning, several reverse engineering projects have suggested it's possible to crawl up the connection pipe from over the internet and (again theoretically) gain control of the car.

A real risk? Probably not. Again, with enough money on the table, it's not a something to be concerned about. Especially for conscientious drivers who welcome the opportunity for scrutiny that leads to a premium reduction.

I think it's pretty cool. You'll save money because you are a safe driver.

Hey if they want to track my treks to the grocery stores and other errands, have at it. I have nothing to hide. There are so many drivers who put on their brakes at the last minute because they don't look ahead to see what's going on. That's not me. I put on my brakes suddenly because of a sudden pot-hole, and this is pot-hole season, but not habitually.

If I got one of those they would probably raise my rates!

A lot of my customers are using them. I have two brothers with young drivers and they are using them as well. My brothers like them because they can monitor the kids driving performance and point out to them when they have made mistakes. You can track your own performance as well. The unit needs 60 days out of a 6 month period to determine your discount. Many of my seniors have the unit as well and it's saved them quite a bit of money. I just reviewed an upcoming renewal for a recently retired couple. They saved $53.06 on one car. There have been some hiccups with the units, I know we are currently upgrading ours and sending out the new ones with the most recent technology. We found that some of our units interfered with the hands free phone systems in some of the new cars. All in all though I have only had good feed back from my customers and haven't seen it used in claims.

I looked into this about a year ago. At that time, State Farm said I would have had to pay to use the monitor -- would nullify any premium savings.

My privacy and freedom is not for sale.

I'm a good defensive driver and my record shows it. However I would be penalized for driving in the wee hours. Anyone who drives in heavy commute traffic understands the necessity of hard braking (I should s simply plow into the idiot who cut me off?) People who understand how controlling your vehicle works also understand the need for occasional sudden acceleration to get out of a situation that may cause a collision. This system doesn't reward you for how well you drive but penalizes those that drive safely and skillfully under adverse conditions. Meanwhile it doesn't penalize people who are texting, eating, applying make-up, driving so slowly as to endanger those around them, tailgating, running stop signs, making unsafe left turns into oncoming traffic, not merging at the speed of traffic, are clueless at a four way stop or uncontrolled intersection or all the stupid stuff bad drivers do. So because I drive at night, avoid hitting idiots, know how to swerve around something without losing control, drive in heavy traffic and put a lot of miles on my vehicle I would be penalized. Looks like profiling the environment the driver is in rather than the driver's skills. BTW Progressive has reversed themselves. They announced at the end of last year that they will be using this "technology" to raise rates as well as lower them.

I' m guessing I don't drive enough to make one of these work, given what Two25acres said. I averaged less than 800 miles per year for the last three years. :) (I think I do get a break on the premiums for staying home...)

Rarely do heavy braking ... jackrabbitting away on green lights, etc., not my style.

But have no plans to install one o' them things in my car.

What's that the agent said about its operation having interfered with one client's hands-free phone operation?

In my opinion - hand-held and hands-free phone operation are almost identical - both cause almost the same level of distraction from the important task of coping with the attention to the road and other drivers' actions.

Which interfered with the operation of the tracking thing-ee?

An issue of minor interest to the insurance company?

In a pig's eye!

(Not the same as a pig sty!)

I'll bet they'd be *really* unhappy with the story that thing'd tell about my record. Standard tranny. (Signal light ahead goes golden) ... Foot on clutch ... ignition key off ... engine stops ... vehicle travelling at almost 50 kmh (speed limit in city), slowing ... to near stopped ... (ignition key turned on) clutch pedal released ... engine starts ... moderate acceleration (following cars taking off from signal light ... at decent distance) to near speed limit, then continue.

More of similar action on rural road, travelling downhill (when no vehicle threatening to crawl up this car's tail pipe).

ole joyfuelled

I agree with watchmelol's point of view pretty completely, although in my case it usually isn't a idiot cutting me off that calls for abrupt, severe braking. Instead it is usually necessitated by a suicidal deer that chooses my car to help him end it all.
I really don't see how the data the device can gather could have any useful bearing on determining anything relevant about the relative skill of a driver.
Furthermore, although they claim:

The Collected Data will not be used to:

• cancel your policy;
• refuse to renew your policy;
• increase your premium;
• confirm rating criteria (e.g., where vehicle is principally garaged, distance driven, pleasure/commute/business use); or
• process or deny claims.

I'm absolutely sure that somewhere else, in much smaller print, they reserve the right to unilaterally and retroactively change their mind about what purposes the collected data can be used for.

As usual with these types of intrusions the devil's in the details.

Snapshot results may also be considered in determining pricing tier and in making underwriting decisions.Your driving score will remain the same for each renewal, until such time as Progressive, in its sole discretion, elects to collect additional vehicle data to re-evaluate how the vehicle is being driven and recalculate the driving score.

And:
If you chose to plug in the device and then opt out more than 45 days after being enrolled in Snapshot, you’ll receive a surcharge to your policy when it comes up for renewal.

Snapshot Terms and Conditions

Bob, what I got out of it is, while jasdip's doodad company doesn't do those things, Progressive does do those things. I'm just glad they're upfront about it. At least you know they can change your rates.

Apparently it's more than females that carry the privilege of changing their mind(s)!

o j