Gee, thanks for the offer, but...
 

Drive Safe & Save

You’re a good driver. With our Drive Safe & Save™ program, being a good driver actually gives you more control over how much you can save on your auto insurance.

Here’s how it works: Using your vehicle’s OnStar, In-Drive or SYNC communication service, we collect basic information about your driving. We then use the information to calculate your discount. The safer you drive, the more you save–it’s that easy.

Like a good neighbor, statefarm is (always) there...

Big brother is your co-pilot.

One of the plug in ones from another company measures you acceleration and deceleration rates. I understand some people with it find it better to run the red light than slam on their brakes and have their rates go up.:eek:

Excellent; here's the plan:

Step 1. Sign-up and obtain tracking device.
Step 2. Reverse-hack device. Upload simulated profile/data that provides substantial insurance discount. Don't go for maximum, as to not alert State Farm's suspicions.
Step 3. Drive it like you stole it, and pay pennies per mile for insurance.

Step 4. (Optional) Offer to hack and modify profiles for others for big $$$

:D

That would be righteous.

Great. Just effin' great. As if there aren't enough nit-wits on the road already, merging into 70+ mph freeway traffic at 35 mph, getting on their brakes half a block before a red light and slowing to a crawl for the next half block, stopping two car lengths behind one another at those lights (in already heavily congested traffic), and on and on.

If this sort of insurance program is at all widespread, it may very well explain the increasingly unexplainable behavior I see from too many other motorists. It certainly has seemed to be ramping up in recent years. Where we mostly used to yell and shake our fists at the ass hole who was driving way too fast and weaving in and out of traffic, today the absolutely clueless slowpoke just puttering along and getting in everyone else's way is the object of out ire. Maybe they are all simply looking for an insurance break, at everyone else's expense.

Now throw a hybrid into the mix - maybe those pin-head Pious drivers are no longer just trying to stay on the electric motor, they are actually trying to earn an insurance discount through their "safe" driving. God help us.

Debating on whether or not to call my agent, tell him that if this becomes mandatory, I'll be dropping them. What? No tickets, no claims, no accidents for decades isn't enough for them?

Jeff...great post!

I have a friend who is a Farmer's agent -- if my agent starts pushing this I will be moving 4 cars, 2 bikes, and a house over ...

I would tell him exactly where he could cram his "basic information".

Complaining to my local agent would do as much good as cussing the pump jocky about gas prices...What I'm thinking is that it's only a matter of time before all insurance companies do this...or even make it mandatory.

4th amendment??? Oh, that pesky little thing?

Too bad I have a nice life, otherwise I'd do the illegal immigrant thing and drive without insurance. I am really surprised this has not raised privacy lawsuits. Three things I hate....paying for parking, insurance companies, and bad beer.....

That might be enough to make me tell them to pound sand. Invasion of privacy by a corporation that I pay to provide me with a service? F- that. Vote with your dollars.

Believe me, I'm considering doing just that...despite being a senior citizen who drives limited miles without having a ticket or claims in decades. 3 vehicles and home policies all in the same place.

So, jzdu...you might ask your boss if they expect any negative reactions to this?

Ah hell, never mind...he'd probably just reply that I'm a customer they didn't want anyway...

Orwell was an optimist...

Our company, as well as many others, have installed hardware in our trucks to track driving habits.

While we in management were told it is for tracking fuel usage, it can also gather information on rapid acceleration/deceleration, speeding, as well as tracking the vehicle by GPS.


..and some wonder why the young folk do not want to go into the trucking business now.


My wife and I drive safely but even though we could probably save a bit on our insurance I will not utilise any plug in devices.

I like my non-OBDII daily drivers.

Just wait until they start offering a discount on health insurance if you have a "device" installed into your body...

jzdu, who works for State Farm, must have decided to delete his post. He basically said he thought this was good for retired people like me who drive limited miles.

Why didn't you keep the post up? I mean, if your company is offering such a great deal, you'd think you'd want everybody to know about it.

I'd assume the 'GPS tracking' discount isn't that much. They still want to collect your premiums, they just want more ability to deny your claim.

I've started a couple of threads on this in the past. I see this ending up where they can't force you to use one, but your rates will be a lot higher if you don't. I'd love to hack one to replace the collected data and transmit "f*ck you" once a minute.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/690159-anyone-here-using-insurance-data-collection-device.html

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/601620-insurance-co-spy.html

LOL, think you pretty much just nailed the WA driving experience.

Except that you didn't mention the #$#%^$ that pull away from a stop in front of you, with what would be perfectly acceptable separation - if they didn't then take the next mile to "accelerate" up to the speed limit. Which you were already driving at. Thus forcing you to slow down to their speed until they deign to reach 25 or 35.

Or the Washington Rolling Road-Block. It only takes intelligence slightly above pond scum to be distinctly unhappy driving door-to-door at precisely the same speed as cars in the adjacent lanes...

Pretty much the worst driving I've ever seen. Anywhere. Heck, I'd rather drive in London, Boston, Paris or New York. Or even Moscow, at a pinch. True, some of those guys are nuts - but most of them can judge speed/distance; they wouldn't make it one way on their commute else...