Progressive offers discount if you let its robot ride along
Filed under: Technology, Insurance - Car Insurance
Would you be willing to let an insurance company electronically monitor your driving habits in return for a possible 25% cut in your premium? That's the deal now offered in 19 states by Progressive Insurance, as it works to take its MyRate program national. The company uses three criteria for the MyRate discount: defensive driving practices, low annual mileage (under 10,000 miles), and little driving after midnight.
The device Progressive installs in covered vehicles captures speed and time-of-day data, and from this can identify risky behavior such as jackrabbit starts and panic stops. Drivers are able to access their driving history online to make sure they are in compliance.
In case you're wondering, the device is not GPS equipped, so it can't tell the difference between a trip to church or the nudie bar, as long as the distances are the same.
If your household is a blend of cautious and aggressive drivers, you can choose to cover only the car driven by the driver who would do well under these rules. A charge of $30 for the technology is added to the premium, so those who already enjoy rock-bottom prices might not realize the maximum savings.
Even if you consider yourself a safe driver, don't buy into this or any program without comparison shopping first. And be honest about your driving habits.
The Progressive robot you invite to ride along with you isn't your friend -- if you don't toe the safe-driver line, you can be sure it'll squeal on you.
AP
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
12-25-2009 @ 4:49PM
DEBOSS said...
SOUNDS LIKE A PRIVACY ISSUE,,IT SHOULD DETECT FAST FOOD,CELL PHONE AND,RADIO HABITS,,ALSO CUT THE RATE 50%,,WE NEED WAY MORE HUMANITY IN CORP PROFIT DECISIONS,,I AM STARTING A CORPORATION,,AIMED AT COMPLETELY REVAMPING MORTGAGE/INS/LOAN RATE AVAILABILITY,,ALLDAYENTERPRIZES INC....WRTE YOUR DEAL ,SUBMIT,WE APPROVE,,BASED ON INCOME...YOU WILL LOVE US!!
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12-25-2009 @ 4:52PM
mdp said...
I truly feel sorry for any fool that would allow this kind of spying by some idiot insurance company. In todays (a)merica anyone will give up freedom for a dollar. Land of the Free Home of the Brave, no more!!
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12-25-2009 @ 6:36PM
Britt said...
I personally would never use progressive because of a claim made a few yrs back where progressive cancelled my uninsured motorist insurance w/o my knowledge & it convientlly cost me over $1000 to fix a car that was suposed to be covered under the policy.But i guess you live and learn so i will NEVER use progressive ever again even if they have the cheapest premiums. I would rather pay more then get screwed by big insurance companies
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12-26-2009 @ 1:23PM
David Secord said...
As Peter Lewis (CEO of Progressive) has spent a good part of his fortune attempting to legalize all drugs in the U.S. (working with George Soros and Marc Cuban [owner of the Dallas Mavericks]), I wouldn't care if the insurance was free. I still wouldn't insure with Progressive and neither should you (unless you support ultra-left wing dumbass anarchists like the above mentioned buttwipes).
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12-25-2009 @ 9:27PM
JAKE said...
Sure I installed it. my rate went up $33 A month. I would like to have the jerk that uped my rate to ride with me for one month to work. Let him or her try to go the speed limit at 5am on route 80 east bound.He would get run over by all the Penncy drivers.Do not install it.
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12-26-2009 @ 12:11AM
upurs said...
well if our wealthy business leaders and their government weren't robbing all of us so bad...we might not need to be so frightened about how and where we might be able to save a buc,remember,life wasn't given to us to create the most economic decisions all the time....life was meant to live and get as much enjoyment and love as possible...our leaders of this country have been robbing everybody so bad for the last 25 years that america is hardly recognizable anymore,we might as well call it america inc., and don't forget we're the little guys with about a 5 million in-1-chance-of being among the lucky ones..!..i remember when insurance was an option,with everybody losing everything,hells fire what are they gonna take if you wreck???...who cares..
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12-26-2009 @ 12:45AM
dale said...
just another way to rip people off . what if you have the 2nd shift and have to drive home after midnight ? get faulted for it ? if you live out in the middle of a corn field in nebraska and have to drive miles just to get to town and back is that your fault? why cant they just go by ones driving record like theyre suppose to be doing ? who cares when or howw far you drive ? if you dont get tickets and dont have wrecks you should have to pay extra ! same as with health insurance . if obama had a brain he,d work from the top then work his way down to make changes in his health care system and car insurance , and home owners insurance and ...... and ..... get the picture ? just like i saw this evening why is it going to cost billions for health care ? if there is 450 million people { legal { in this country they could just spend 450 million and totally insure everyone completely from birth to death and just add a few million every year and or roll over the money when people die to keep it going . duhhhh .... and you would have total eye care health care and prescription care and no ! money from your pocket at all since its already your tax money paying for it . then the government needs to put caps on how much is charged for each procedure and for medicine ect .
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12-26-2009 @ 12:48AM
john said...
I've paid low rates to Progressive for years. Everytime I turn around, my rate is lowered or my coverage is improved. Do you know if I have my dogs in the car and they get injured, they are covered. I had damage after hurricane Wilma. Progressive gave me a date and time. I went and was treated royally. Just a few quick questions and then to a hospitality tent. All kinds of food and drink all for free. Not too long later, the adjuster gave me a sizeable check. I asked if it would increase my rates and they said no. It was like an act of God. I'll never leave them.
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12-26-2009 @ 2:47AM
Ellie said...
I have had Progressive Car Insurance since 1997. We had a new teenage driver at the time and my agent at Farmers told me to switch over to them since they were much kinder to the purse than they and other big name insurance companies were to families with a teen driver. I have consistantly had low rates. It has been several years ago now that I was part of a test study for this program Progressive has implemented again. I live in Texas. My rates when down considerably and I have been waiting for this program to come back again. I drive about 4000 miles a year in my car. I don't work so therefore don't drive my car to work everyday. I don't speed and don't drive during the rush hours or very late at night. This program is perfect for me. If you are a driver that has to travel in the rush hours and/or you are not a patient driver or like to speed then the program isn't for you. I'm not a little old lady who only drives the car on Sunday. My husband has a company car that we use for longer distances and when we go out in the evening. If you are a driver similar to what I am then the plan is perfect for you and I promise, you will save money on your premiums. II don't have anything to hide from Progressive. I know I fit the criteria for the program and don't feel like some of the previous posters that big business is trying to spy on me in any way. For those of you who can follow the simple rules, you should give the program a try. You can always switch back to a regular premium. Just recently I also sswitched my home insurance to Progressive. Again, they gave me the best rate.
12-26-2009 @ 12:56AM
dale said...
since this is the only site that i can get a comment on that will actually go thru heres one about the would be bomber today on the plane . they should take this guy out and since they know hes the one , no trial no nothing dont waste our time and money and shoot him slowly on universal television and show the world we arent gonna take this crap no more ! find out who they are and where theyre from then go bomb the crap out of the country or city they were from and show them that if they cant control thier people any better then that then we can for them. i,d hate to see what would happen if pearl harbor happened today with all these bleeding hearts we have in this country . lets go back to the way wars are suppose to be fought , go in , do the job and get out and maybe the world would respect us again as the world power we were and not the pansy ass country weve become .i would never send my son or daughter off to war or in the military today knowing that if they happen to shoot some one as thier job is when in war and could be tried and even sentenced to death or court martialed or jailed just for doing what we sent them over to do to begin with . and we,ve seen that happened already and its been going on since viet nam. thats why we lost that war because of all the damn bleeding hearts that think peace and love will cure all that comes after youve taught the enemy a lesson . if we fought ww2 the way we do now we,d all be speaking german or japanese today . we got the bombs USE THEM ! it wouldnt be a loss if we nuked iran or irac or afganastan get it over with and bring our people back and lets get back to living with out fear .
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12-26-2009 @ 1:17AM
pr said...
progressive is part of the far left crowd and is not to be trusted, they support the far left and are supported by george soros who is one of the worst people on this planet, he supports pelosi the whore and hussien the muslim obama who is the worst preident ever, worse than carter and he was very bad
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12-26-2009 @ 2:45AM
Ellie said...
Where on earth do you get your information? I guess you believe in flying saucers as well.