Don’t mind Big Brother having direct access to your driving habits? If your answer is “no,” then you could possibly qualify for the most affordable auto insurance rates offered. More insurance companies are offering drivers a program that electronically monitors their driving habits, according to a recent report.
Electronic devices that track things like mileage, speed, distance and hard breaking can be voluntarily installed by policyholders, for example. Of the 20 major property and casualty insurance agencies in the United States and the United Kingdom, at least half either have a telematics program or are developing one, according to the Celent report. Celent is an information technology consulting firm.
For many drivers, savings outweigh any possible privacy concerns. The bottom line: The safer you are behind the wheel, the more likely you are to be eligible for discounts on your auto insurance.
Traditionally, rates have been set on things like mileage, age, gender, driving history, vehicle type and age, and location. Telematic devices, though, allow participating insurance companies to view more accurate data. That, in turn, can lead to more affordable car insurance for policyholders.
Other benefits of telematics devices include:
* Motorists who have the devices installed in their vehicles typically drive slower and brake more carefully because they know their driving habits are being monitored, industry experts say.
* Some devices give policyholders details on things like how other family members drive the policyholders’ vehicle.
Telematics in the U.S. is marketed as a way to save money through safe driving and low mileage, according to the Celent report. In the U.K., meanwhile, telematics programs have targeted teens and high- or above-average risk drivers.
Industry experts say they expect the devices to become more popular in the coming years, due in part to the rising costs of premiums and the struggling global economy.
And you don’t have to buy a new car to obtain one of the devices, either. One major insurer offers a smart phone app that performs many of the same features as telematics devices, although drivers have to make sure they turn the device on before hitting the road.
As more drivers are seeing this as a potential way to save money on their auto insurance, automobile insurance companies are still working out some of the kinks. Chief among the concerns is how to keep the policyholders’ data safe.
Likewise, insurers are also learning how to use and incorporate the data into the existing claims-handling process. One insurer stopped offering the program, for example, because of problems with handling the sheer volume of data (and a lack of interest at the time in participating in the program).
Auto insurance companies are also trying to decide which segments of the driving population they should target with the devices.