Progressive Insurance Snapshot

[mystang52]

I recently switched my insurance coverages to Progressive. My 6 month auto policy included a discount if I subscribed to "Snapshot." This is a gizmo that plugs into the car's electronics so the car's movements can be recorded, for lack of a better word. Among the things they track are speed, mileage, and "hard braking."
I was undecided at first, but ultimately decided to NOT use it. As a result, I lost the discount of $60 over the 6 month policy period. That was worth it to me, as I was very uncomfortable with the lack of privacy, who knows what their definition of hard braking is, and my skepticism that the discount would last very long anyway.
Just curious if anyone has used it and their experience (I'm sure other insurers have a similar apparatus).

 

[Sojourner]

I used a Snapshot device for 6 months about 1½ years ago, and I ended up saving 10% on my policy premiums. According to the info I read and what I heard from the Progressive rep on the phone, it does NOT track your vehicle's speed, but does record "hard braking" and the amount of miles you put on the car between midnight and 5am. For me, the late-night miles category was minimal, but I did trigger the hard braking flag a number of times. If I remember correctly, hard braking was defined as something like "decelerating at more than 8 MPH per second". This happened to me mostly when I was traveling at or above the speed limit and an upcoming traffic light turned yellow unexpectedly and I didn't have quite enough time to decelerate smoothly and slowly. Thing is, though, the device would beep whenever the hard braking flag was triggered, so I quickly learned to adapt to it and to drive more cautiously when approaching a traffic light.

In the end, I felt the 10% savings was worth the minor inconvenience, and I don't think there are any real privacy concerns. It does not track your location in any sort of systematic nefarious way, to the best of my knowledge.

 

[grasshopper]

My experience was a 6% reduction with snapshot and a 10% annual increase on my premiums. They only did that once hello Geico. It was those sudden braking, pesky bunnies, mule deer, roadrunners, and box turtles that got me.

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

I would let them install a breathalyzer in my car too if i could save money.

 

[Alan]

I have a friend whose teenage grandson has one of those devices to greatly reduce his premiums. Recently my friend was in his grandson's car while the lad's dad was driving. He said it was hilarious to hear his grandson berating his father for accelerating and braking too hard, "You're going to cause my premiums to go up!!!!!"

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

I have a friend whose teenage grandson has one of those devices to greatly reduce his premiums. Recently my friend was in his grandson's car while the lad's dad was driving. He said it was hilarious to hear his grandson berating his father for accelerating and braking too hard, "You're going to cause my premiums to go up!!!!!"

 

[Koolau]

Seems too much like Big Brother. YMMV

 

[euro]

Seems too much like Big Brother. YMMV

My thought too - no way I trust the big corp with all that data. It seems that they can't even get their story straight as to weather they track speed or not. I'm sure they collect all sorts of data - they may not use it right now, but it exists. And if there is a profit to be made later on, then who knows.

Self-policing by commercially driven institutions has a poor track record, IMHO

 

[CDRE]

We have vehicles with Progressive. After much contemplation regarding the data collection, we went for it and drove like Progressive angels during the few months of device monitoring. Progressive angels don't drive between 12:00AM - 4:00AM, they don't decelerate greater than 7 miles a second per second, they never go over 70 MPH, and they don't drive a whole bunch of miles. We did have a few hard brakes for each vehicle and one of them is driven about 26,000 miles a year while one of them is driven about 7,000 mile a year. The device does not have GPS so it only knows that the maximum legal speed is 70MPH. We achieved 30% off for each vehicle and returned the devices to Progressive in their prepaid shipping box. The 30% discount transfers to replacement vehicles we add to the policy.

 

[braumeister]

The device does not have GPS so it only knows that the maximum legal speed is 70MPH.

In most states, but certainly not all.

 

[Koolau]

In most states, but certainly not all.

Yup. In HI the highest SL is 60mph. That's only on the most expensive stretch of "Interstate" ever built - the H3 freeway. YMMV

 

[zinger1457]

The device does not have GPS so it only knows that the maximum legal speed is 70MPH. We achieved 30% off for each vehicle and returned the devices to Progressive in their prepaid shipping box. The 30% discount transfers to replacement vehicles we add to the policy.

Seems like it worked out for you, why did you return the devices? The speed limit on AZ freeways (outside city limits) is 75, hopefully they program it by state.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Seems too much like Big Brother. YMMV

Only if you have something to hide.

 

[Mdlerth]

Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas

I would be extremely hesitant to trust anything they tell you about what they will do with data.

I signed onto Progressive many years ago because they "quoted" me the lowest price. After two months they sent me a bill, explaining they had "quoted" me the wrong rate. I explained in return that they had agreed to the contract, and their mistake wasn't my problem. They said if I didn't pay the extra money, they would simply cancel the policy.

I told them that in view of their questionable ethics, I would seek insurance elsewhere.

 

[CDRE]

Progressive only requires monitoring until they are satisfied. They tell you when you're done. It was about three months for us but someone told me their family was monitored for about six months.

Valid points on the speed limit. Dunno. My graph had 70MPH as the top speed which is allowed for my state.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Saved me 22%

 

[travelover]

Only if you have something to hide.

This argument has frequently been used to trample privacy rights. Not to say one shouldn't take Progressive up on their offer, but everyone has something, in life, to hide.

 

[GrayHare]

Only if you have something to hide.

"Today I made and appearance downtown,
I am an expert witness, because I say I am.
And I said, 'Gentleman....and I use that word loosely...I will testify for you.
I'm a gun for hire, I'm a saint, I'm a liar,
Because there are no facts, there is no truth, just data to be manipulated.
I can get you any result you like....what's it worth to ya?
Because there is no wrong, there is no right.'"

-Don Henley, The Garden of Allah

 

[ShokWaveRider]

This argument has frequently been used to trample privacy rights. Not to say one shouldn't take Progressive up on their offer, but everyone has something, in life, to hide.

OK, but I am European and we are not as hung up about privacy as others may be. I honestly do not care what they or anyone wants to know about me, I have nothing to hide.

NOW Identity theft is something else. Keep your hands and eyes and cookies and malware OFF my Passwords and Financial Information.

 

[aja8888]

Progressive only requires monitoring until they are satisfied. They tell you when you're done. It was about three months for us but someone told me their family was monitored for about six months.

Valid points on the speed limit. Dunno. My graph had 70MPH as the top speed which is allowed for my state.

In Texas we have some 80 MPH speed limits and many at 75. I believe there is one stretch of highway where the posted speed is 85 MPH.

 

[aja8888]

Saved me 22%

Off their rates? Compared to other companies? Insurance is a funny business.

 

[FireFool]

I actually saved 30% when I monitored. My basic advice is drive as if you have a full cup of coffee in your cup holder without a lid. If you drive smooth enough that it won't spill you'll earn a large discount.

They disclose what they collect on their web site = https://www.progressive.com/auto/snapshot-details/?theme=neutral

In Ohio, their headquarters state they use:
What we use to calculate your Snapshot result
Hard braking—Hard brakes are decreases in speed of seven mph per second or greater. Your Snapshot device will “beep” when you brake hard. Minimize hard braking to work toward a discount.
Amount of time driven—The number of minutes that your engine is running during a trip. To earn a discount, try to minimize your time behind the wheel by combining trips, carpooling or using public transportation.
Time and day—The number of minutes you spend driving during higher risk hours—the highest risk are between midnight and 4 a.m. on the weekends.
Fast starts— Fast starts are increases in speed of nine mph per second or greater. Also known as “jackrabbit starts” or just “putting the pedal to the metal.” Use a lighter foot on the gas pedal to work toward a discount.
Trip regularity—The frequency with which you drive at the same time of day and same duration.

 

[Sunset]

A company having a bunch of personal information - let's see: My health ins company does and shares with with other companies, and I consider that more private than my driving which is viewable by the public.
Google records every search and my ISP see's all my internet traffic like emails/sites visited etc.

So I don't worry too much about the driving part.

I have it with AllState.
I got 20% discount, this renewal it was 18%.

It records and gives me a website so I can see the totals graphed out in summary and by the day.

High speed is defined as over 80 MPH (which is bad, so I use cruise control to not go over that).
They break the day into safety times (after midnight is the worst) probably based on accidents happening.

 

[ERD50]

OK, but I am European and we are not as hung up about privacy as others may be. I honestly do not care what they or anyone wants to know about me, I have nothing to hide. ....

I have no idea if it is a European versus US thing. I'm Midwest American born and raised, and I am not as hung up about privacy as others on this forum may be.

I really don't get 99% of the privacy concerns, or the 'all or nothing' approach that some have.

I got this kind of offer from State Farm, but you had to buy the device, pay a monthly fee, and then you find out if you save or not. I didn't have any issues with privacy, it just didn't sound that compelling to me.

My new car has audible warnings for some of these things. They are usually nothing (like I intentionally drift over in the lane because I see a pedestrian, and no cars are approaching). But it might catch me being less attentive than I should, so that's a good thing.

-ERD50

 

[jazz4cash]

We've had a couple threads on this. Here's one started by me. AFAIK when they say x% discount it generally applies to specific coverages (comp and collision maybe).
Experience with Auto Insurance Data Logger

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/showthread.php?p=79447