Automobile Insurance Driver Monitor
 

Many auto insurance companies offer either a "telematics" device or a smartphone app that can monitor your driving habits. In return for using their system they say you can save on your car insurance by driving safely. If you have used such a system what has been your experience? Did you actually save money on your insurance premium or did your premium go up?

Speed, which can show you take risks.
Hard breaking, which can indicate distracted driving.
Time of day the car was used to determine if you do a lot of nighttime driving.
GPS information, which tells the insurer if you enter high accident or vehicle theft areas.
Mileage and time you spend driving, which can both be used to determine how much you’re on the road increasing the likelihood of an accident.
Turning, which can be used with mapping systems to calculate whether you put yourself or others at risk.
Phone usage, which can be used to label you high risk or prove a pattern of distracted driving.
How often automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning has been activated.
I’ll pass

Wow!

Even Winston Smith and Julia would rip out that device

I don't have one, but I'm quite sure I've followed a lot of people who do. They're the ones driving 35 in a 45 on 466 in the left lane.

Love those drivers. Usually I'm fantasizing about the best way to run them off the road.

Just giving insurance companies evidence to deny claims

Or raise premiums

Used one twice when changing insurance companies. Rates went down both times.

The devices I used plugged into the OBP port in the car and had nothing to do with a phone or app. Not sure what is being used today.

I use the State Farm app on my phone. Rates went from $145.73 to $133.12 per month for two autos. But only one auto has the app registered. When I set it up I stuck a little device they gave me on the inside windshield so the company knows you are in the insured car and not riding on another vehicle. You have to have your phone with you when driving.
Yes, they will be able to tell if an accident was your fault, should you have one.
(BTW this should be in the non Villages forum)

And data collected will be used to deny or fight your claim(s) down the road.

My concern would be what else do they do with that data, do they sell it to other parties?

I was using it and was getting additional discounts, however it didn't always turn on and sometimes when it did, it tried to detect a trip, but couldn't find one and gave me an error message. It checked my speed (would flag anything over 79mph), the time of day I'm driving, and hard braking. Since the speed limit on highways around here is 70, I'd think driving under 80 is a reasonable expectation. I think it pinged me once, because I was passing someone, and someone else was on my tail and I just wanted to get out of their way and in front of the guy I was passing, so went up to around 85.

I feel no guilt about that, and I didn't have to pay extra insurance, I just didn't get the extra discount that month. I still have the "safe driver" discount.

I was thinking the same thing. Or who won’t turn left if it’s a flashing yellow light.

Use the Device, not the App
 

The device mostly registers sudden breaking and quick acceleration. It also detects what time of day you are driving and how often you drive. The app detects more, so I used the device and saved quite a bit of money.

Regardless, you can't pay me enough to have Big Brother riding in my passenger seat. I wonder, if like Alexa, it can record your private conversations, or other activity in your car:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl: