Allstate Drivewise - any issues?

I guess the beacon is the same as state farms drive safe and safe. It’s a little battery powered Bluetooth device no connection to your car and there’s a adhesive backing to it that you can attach to your window or other location that’s convenient

 

I would be more concerned about the information that's collected being used against me. Say, in the event of an accident - "Oh, we see that you were 6 mph above the speed limit when (you were hit/hit the other car.) Sorry..."

 

Is it still dependent on a smart phone to transmit info to the mothership?

 

Pretty sure Toyota is already collecting that info. I get a daily report from Toyota. Personally I’m a conservative driver and appreciate the feedback. I participate in State Farm’s program. Their position is they will only use the info to decrease your premium and not to increase it. Since that’s all it’s done so far I can’t dispute it.

 

We may or may not use these in our fleet.

They draw power and data from the vehicle's OBD2 port during use and ours has a GPS/GSM module. I've used one on and off for the last 2 years and I've never had it draw down my battery.
Ours also has a 'spouse' mode that beeps when it thinks that you're accelerating or breaking too abruptly, but I'm sure that the Flo-meter lacks this feature.

These things are designed to provide all of the info that's present on your OBD2 bus - whatever that might be, plus anything that's detectable with a GPS receiver (lat/long, time, altitude, velocities)

Ours is ONLY USED FOR DISPATCH EFFICIENCY according to union.

However (comma!!) I may or may not have heard about employees being admonished/disciplined/or even dismissed for cases of:
Harsh acceleration.
Hard Braking.
Speeding.
Geo-fencing issues (going home while on the clock.)
I'm thinking that things like seatbelt use isn't an OBD2 thing, but I always wear mine, end so it's not a top turd in my pile.

Since I have 22 years of driving for Big Phone with zero accidents/incidents/etc, I really don't mind the data loggers and or cameras that they may or may not use.

Their car.
Their gas.
Their money.

However (COMMA!!!!)
I have a good driving record and USAA, and so I have no need for another data-logge4r in my life for right now.....unless thay want to offer me a STEEP discount.


So......
What you're essentially doing with an insurance company data logger, is what people ALWAYS do with their cell phones/TVs/Interweb providers, search engines, and social media platforms like this one.

They trade privacy for money or product.

I can see the insurance company's side, and at least (for now) these data loggers are not mandatory for sub-stratospheric rates.
....for now.

They'd be phenomenal for teen drivers.
Not so much for adults who have to drive at night a lot....or don't drive like adults.

YMMV

 

I thought Allstate moved away from the drivewise devices. They had us install the Allstate app on our smart phones last year and they track our driving through that app now. Just had to create an account for each driver/phone being used.

 

That's only if you have the Safety Connect. That's the reason I am opting out of the Saftey Connect on my brand new 2021 PP, even though it is free during the promotional period.

 

They are.

If your car has an IMEI # and a GSM module then Toyota has the ability to collect the information...whether or not you pay them for the data/service.
I don't know whether or not they actually DO anything with the data besides leave it in your car - but I have my suspicions.
There have been posts in this very forum about the great G3 UA nontroversary (geezers stomping on the wrong pedal) and data and flight control inputs were gathered and examined from the car's equivalent of a black box.
The folks in Aichi were slammed with a GIGABUCK in fines if memory serves.....so the question should not be IF they collect all available data, but rather why the bleep WOULDN'T they?

THAT was for G3's back in the long-ago when they had to hoover the data off of the car with a wire.

Absenting the GSM link, Stealerships "can" also retrieve stored information during service visits.
Don't know if they do - but the ability is there.

Your car also has microphones, and at least one camera.
...just like your cell phone.

I'm always amazed when some of my co-workers put black duct tape over the webcams on their PCs.....and then take their phones with them on rest room breaks....

As for myself?
I've never presumed that where I go or what I do, or how fast I drive or whether the BSM detects my seatbelt as being used, or how hard I mash the pedals is of any real interest to anyone.
BUT I also presume that if they can........they do.

 

I don't know what the current requirements are for GEICO coverage (was a time when you quite literally needed to be, as the name suggests, a government employee) , but I routinely save hundreds of dollars through them. No need to shave a few "good driver" shekles from a bill that's already far higher than need be. Many companies thrive on consumer complacency, and it really behooves you to get other quotes before renewal time.

Just food for thought

 

I've used the Lizard company for MC insurance before USAA.

Good Company!

Progressive OTOH is aptly named for what happens to their victim's rates after a few renewals.....

AS ALWAYS....get multiple quotes!!!
Also, I tend to carry very high deductibles and I haven't filed a claim in....decades.

 

Yes! It's always a good idea to periodically shop your insurance needs around to see which agent or company really wants your business. I bundle all the policies for both discounts and for my convenience. Home, cars, umbrella, rental house, (previous motorcycle, boat, and camp trailer). Safeco has given me the best price. Amica was a bit higher for some, lower for others, about the same total, and no point changing. USAA and Farmers were higher. AARP's Hartford is higher (AARP's insurance broker revenue is AARP's major source of income). When the in-laws moved to our town they changed agents and found that the old agent had been charging them much more than necessary.

Review your coverages. Do you have what you need, and don't have what you don't need? If you own much, umbrella liability insurance may be a money saver and offer sufficient protection. Is your car low enough value to drop collision and/or comprehensive coverage? One rule of thumb is if you car write a check to replace the car, drop the coverages. Another rule of thumb is if your annual collision premium is more than 10% of the value of the car less the deductible, drop it. If your car is in storage for an extended period, drop all but comprehensive for the storage period--you don't need liability, collision, medical, or other coverages while the car is off the road.

 

+1

I switched from MetLife which offered some discount through my employment benefit to GEICO when I first bought the Gen3 Prius back in 2015. I was astonished by the difference in the premium charged by those two companies. It was not hundreds of dollars, it was thousand of dollars I saved. Ever since I have been using GEICO, but I routinely check to see if there are any other companies who can quote a better price on the exact same coverage as I have through GEICO. So far I have found none in the last 6+ years. I have not checked other companies on the premium on my recently purchased PP Ltd, but considering the fact that GEICO premium with the addition of the 2021 PP Ltd to my current policy is only $11 more than when I had the 2020 PP LE on my policy, I don't think I will find any other company that will match or beat the GEICO on saving. BTW, $11 more actually includes 2 weeks additional coverage on the 2021 PP Ltd than the usual 6 mo premium which is to be renewed in a couple weeks, so in actuality, the premium for two cars including 2021 PP Ltd may be cheaper than what I paid a year ago on the two cars including 2020 PP LE.

 

I have never had GEICO, and I'm glad it is working for you, but I have heard too many stories from co-workers, friends, etc where they say they are a pain if you ever make a claim.

If you have ever suffered a major insurance "event" (major home damage, serious car accident), the last thing you want to do is fight with your insurance company while you life is upside down.

I'd love to hear some positive stories because they do seem to be quite a bit cheaper.

 

I have made several claims through GEICO policy but I have never had any issues. It was always very smooth, very speedy, and completely covered without any questions.

I have made claim through GEICO on my HCH after my son totaled it the first time. It was one of the easiest and smoothest insurance claim experiences I have had. Although I must say I have not had that many claim experiences, and all of my auto insurance claim experiences have been very easy and positive experiences. What makes GEICO so easy for me is that everything is centralized online without any agent. If you need personal help by contacting an agent, then GEICO may not be for you. If you want everything done online and no need to visit an insurance office then GEICO will work very well.

In my case, the car was almost 10 years old when it had an accident. I still had full coverage on it, because it cost so little. The damage was mostly cosmetic and certainly repairable. And the car was drivable even without repair. But the cost of the repair was more than the value of the car, so it was written off as totaled. I ended up buying back the car from GEICO so that I can repair and retitle it as a repaired salvaged vehicle. The adjuster from the GEICO just subtracted the wholesale value of the totaled vehicle from the insurance payoff and cut me a check for the difference. The original claim payoff was something like $4500. After subtracting the wholesale value of the totaled vehicle, I received ~$3500 check for exchange to the title and drove the car back home with a broken side mirror and some dings on the door. In a few weeks, I received a salvage title from GEICO while I had the car repaired in a local body shop for just making it legal by replacing the broken side mirror and straightening the door so it will open and close freely. The cost of the repair was less than $1K, so I pocketed the rest. Even taking off the cost of re-titling and registering the repaired salvaged car, I netted ~$2000. I dropped the collision and comprehensive part of the insurance but had the car re-instated under my GEICO policy with liability only until... my son wrecked it again for the second time, this time completely totaled beyond repair. For the second wreck, there was no claim on the car, but there were some property damages the liability part had to cover. Even with two claims both on my son who was at the time on my policy, I did not see much increase in premium after the claims.

I also did a claim on my first PP after the windshield crack. Aside from the fact that the OEM windshield part had to be ordered and shipped from JAPAN and I had to wait for that to arrive for a couple of weeks, I had no issue whatsoever on the insurance claim part. I had and still have no-deductible comprehensive. The glass replacement on PP which cost well over $1K was 100% covered, no question asked.

In my experience, GEICO has been the best auto insurance company to deal with both for the saving on the cost of the premium as well as the services provided for the claim issues. Another great feature of GEICO that my other auto insurance companies in the past did not have is the online quoting system. I can check the current policy and the coverage and try a new quote on "what if" scenarios. After a few clicks on the online page, they will give you an instant quote for the change and compare it with the current policy. If I want the change to take place, then it is only one click to start the newly amended policy. I have used this feature during my policy coverage period to adjust my coverage to suit my needs. For example, when I finally decided to ditch AAA membership, I added GEICO roadside assistance in my policy on two cars. The cost was only $6/vehicle for 6 months. That was only $24/year for both of our cars compared to $150/year I was paying for AAA membership for me and my wife. I also changed (increased) the liability limits using this feature. I initially had only $300K liability. Although this was already more than the state minimum required, I realized the cost was not much different if I decreased it to the state minimum or increased it to the maximum. Either way, the difference was less than $10/per 6 mo. I opted to increase the liability to a maximum of $1M. In this time of suing everyone for everything, this was a very easy choice on my part. All this "what if" scenario checking, I could do discreetly online without ever seeing or talking to an agent. That is a great feature for me.

 

is this another OBD2 plug in ?

 

I'll never opt into using one of these devices. Primarily because they state it can decrease your rates, but it can also increase them to. They aren't doing it just to save you money. And I consider myself a safe driver, 1 ticket when I was a teen 20 years ago, and 1 minor at fault fender bender, that's it. I'll pass on any savings because I don't like what they could do with the data.


Also yes absolutely check your rates regularly. Indiana farm bureau wanted $95 a month for the prime. I was sure they were quoting me wrong, after checking with them multiple times, it was correct. I shopped around and found I was paying about 33% more on average with indiana farm bureau vs the competitor's I quoted. For exact to the t same coverage. Needless to say I switched and am saving around 80 a month

 

The problem I see is you get the absolute best rates by having multiple policies and staying with the same insurer for a long time. It’s hard to keep those multi line and good record discounts when you switch providers. You basically start from square one. If you only have car insurance and not home, umbrella, life and long term care then by all means go for it and switch.

 

It is true that many insurance companies offer multiple policies discounts, but I have not found that to be the best saving strategy in most cases. At least not for my insurance needs. The life insurance premium is fixed. Homeowners insurance rate has been steady unchanged for years, and I have no intention of switching it because doing so will require home valuation and inspection which is a pain. Health insurance and long-term insurance are through my employment and I have no other choice. That leaves auto insurance as a sole insurance policy that is easy to change company and rate fluctuate widely thus saves $$$ easily by doing comparison shopping.