OBD2 insurance trackers

Kinja'd!!! "Sammyno55" (sammyno55)
01/29/2020 at 12:11 • Filed to: insurance, OBD-II, daily driver

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I’m looking for insurance advice from the community or from insurance company employees.

My car insurance went up sharply this year. Some of the reasons behind the increase were higher claims in my area. I moved last year to a much quieter and safer area, but my neighbors seem to leave their cars unlocked and have had a rash of thefts from items within their unlocked vehicles including: purses, wallets, laptop computers, phones, cash, firearms, and sporting equipment. The insurance adjuster also said there were much more expensive cars in my new location. I balked at that one noting that there is one neighbor with a Jag (I know he bought it for less than 10K) and one with a Mercedes C series. The rest of the neighbors drive normal stuff. That is when I realized that most of my neighbors drive expensive trucks and SUVs and the garages are to small to fit them.

On to the question part of this post. My adjuster recommended signing up for the OBD2 tracking package to help reduce my premiums. I’m not sure what the “device” is looking for. If it tracks throttle position, that may be a negative for me. At full throttle, my DD takes about 14 seconds to get to 60 MPH. If it tracks acceleration instead, that’s a good thing for me.

Does anyone here care to share before and after data using these snapshot OBD2 devices?


DISCUSSION (47)


Kinja'd!!! Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 12:37

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I tried one and it beeped constantly. I ended up sending it back. 


Kinja'd!!! DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 12:42

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Tried a couple years ago with progressive and deliberately drove the car very slowly and only ~10 miles per week for the 3 months it was plugged in . Saved a whopping 5 bucks a year. Hard pass  


Kinja'd!!! Brickman > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 12:44

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My sister had one from progressive. I think its just a g-sensor that detects when you brake or steer too aggressively. Could be wrong though.


Kinja'd!!! Tekamul > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 12:46

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They track acceleration, deceleration, distance and time.

No hard acceleration or braking (they use wheel speed info, so no slipping on ice either), no driving between 11pm and 4 am.

They don’t fully disclose what they're doing so you can only learn through others' failures.


Kinja'd!!! E90M3 > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 12:47

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On a more serious note, e very time I shop insurance it seems like one of these is an option. Seems like it’d save up to 10%, but on the other side of the coin it seems like it could cost you more if they don’t approve of your driving. 


Kinja'd!!! Future Heap Owner > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 12:48

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I remember reading somewhere that they’re mainly looking for sudden deceleration, under the theory that those are near-misses and the more of those you have then the more likely you are to hit something. But I can’t remember the source so take this anecdote for what it’s worth (almost nothing).

My friend got one of these after he bought a WRX. As a single male in his (later)  20s, with that car he was probably raising all sorts of red flags for his insurer. He drove very carefully the whole time it was in (not even hard accelerating on entrance ramps) and at the end they knocked down his insurance by an amount he felt was appreciable. I could ask him the exact amount if you’re curious, but I recall it was around $20-30/month.


Kinja'd!!! TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 12:51

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I tried the progressive thingy when I bought the Corolla. It tracks wheel speed and time of day and dings you if you drive between 11PM and 6am and if you brake too hard. I found it to be so sensitive that it is actively discouraging you from using the brakes. I did not feel safe driving the way it wanted me to drive.


Kinja'd!!! Jarrett - [BRZ Boi] > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 12:53

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Not to be “that guy with the tinfoil hat”, but the implications of these devices scare me as a car enthusiast. Widespread acceptance of these could lead to permanence, or even legislation.

I won’t touch them.


Kinja'd!!! Sammyno55 > Jarrett - [BRZ Boi]
01/29/2020 at 13:01

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Valid point. The last time the insurance adjuster  asked if I was interested, one of my cars was a 1995 model and didn't have an ODB 2 port. I was disqualified for my DD because of the old car.


Kinja'd!!! Ash78, voting early and often > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 13:04

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I remember when Progressive first tested these in the early 2000s. As the years went on, it slowly went from “let’s see how much you can save by being safer than average!” to “It’s going to cost you a lot more unless you use the tracker.” (Carrot/Stick approach). I thought the initial theory was ok, but I’m not loving the direction it’s headed....like a grocery store Saver’s Club Card. Offering you punitive rates unless you agree to data collection.

I also hate to hear that people with unlocked vehicles are driving up your premiums. IMHO, theft from an unlocked car (no forced/hacked entry) should be disallowed from auto claims and should be instead treated under Renter/Homeowner’s insurance.


Kinja'd!!! Sammyno55 > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
01/29/2020 at 13:04

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I DD in traffic on the North side of Atlanta, Outside the Perimeter (OTP for those who know this place). I'm chill in traffic and expect people to cut me off. I do daily a hybrid and get about 50 MPG in traffic. I rarely emergency brake, so that may be a plus.


Kinja'd!!! MrDakka > Jarrett - [BRZ Boi]
01/29/2020 at 13:04

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This is how the insurance people control you without resorting to an overt social credit score like in China. 


Kinja'd!!! 412GTI > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 13:05

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I would just shop around insurance if rates are going up that sharply. No way one of those would be going in my car just to get a slight discount. 


Kinja'd!!! Sammyno55 > E90M3
01/29/2020 at 13:06

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That’s my concern. What data do they look at to "approve" my driving. I don't regularly drive between 11 and 6, but I do drive 30+K miles a year.


Kinja'd!!! Sammyno55 > Tekamul
01/29/2020 at 13:07

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I wish there was more disclosure. But then people would game the system.


Kinja'd!!! Sammyno55 > DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By
01/29/2020 at 13:08

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$5 a year saved is a slap in the face. 


Kinja'd!!! BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 13:08

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You “community” isn’t your neighborhood, it’s your zip code or even metro area. Dan’s new truck isn’t what’s bringing up your average.

Shop around, get quotes, see if you can get some discounts (for example, GEICO gives discounts if you’re a Berkshire shareholder). Don’t do the OBD2 reader unless you really drive like a grandma. 


Kinja'd!!! Sammyno55 > Ash78, voting early and often
01/29/2020 at 13:12

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I’m sure these idiots are raising my home insurance rates as well. I'm one of only a few neighbors without one of the Ring doorbells. It makes me want to carry a Wi-Fi deauther when I walk around the neighborhood. 


Kinja'd!!! Sammyno55 > 412GTI
01/29/2020 at 13:14

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I started shopping for insurance and found out, that most of the companies are providing OBD devices or phone apps as part of the discount plan. 


Kinja'd!!! Sammyno55 > BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind
01/29/2020 at 13:15

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My commute is definitely grandma driving. Can't go faster than traffic.


Kinja'd!!! TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 13:15

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This thing was dangerously over sensitive. It would go off when you stopped in a parking space. Your only hope of coming to a stop without setting it off was to basically  coast to a stop. My commute through northern VT includes 3 total stops (a stop sign, a stop light, and a parking space) and it went off all the time. You lift off the gas in 3rd gear going up a slight incline and it goes off. It was a threshold of something like 5mph/second so at 50mph you have to give yourself over 10 seconds of stopping time. If you are on the highway you have to start braking in the lane if you want to take an exit without setting it off.


Kinja'd!!! vondon302 > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 13:18

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Stay away from the obd 2 ones. I switched to liberty mutual a few years ago. They have the right track program. The good thing with this is that it’s app based so if the phone is off hoon away. It saved me some money and I didn’t change my driving the least bit.

https://www.libertymutual.com/righttrack


Kinja'd!!! DucST3-Red-1Liter-Standing-By > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 13:25

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yep left them for a while, but back now (cause cheap) . Might as well say, here’s 5 bucks, thanks for all your data!!


Kinja'd!!! hillrat > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 13:34

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I don’t know anything about them but my initial reaction is, “FUCK NO!!!” Any information they capture can, and will, be used against you.

If you can get in, consider switching to USAA. I’ve been with them my whole life and they’ve been pretty good to me.


Kinja'd!!! Ash78, voting early and often > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 13:49

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Do you get an insurance break for a Ring doorbell?

Still not sure I’d buy one, just curious. I’m amazed at how much voluntary surveillance people have bought into over the past few years. Makes sense because polls say that people THINK the world is getting more dangerous, but outside of gang violence almost every single violent crime stat is down, and property crimes are pretty flat .

But that doesn’t sell doorbells.


Kinja'd!!! bob and john > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 14:34

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absolutely the FUCK not.


Kinja'd!!! Sammyno55 > Ash78, voting early and often
01/29/2020 at 14:42

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I'm not even interested in looking to see if I would get a discount for adding a Ring. What kind of discount would it take? It seems like the Ring is about $200, plus $100/yr service. So I'm not going to consider it for less than $500/yr discount. I'm sure that's not the case. 


Kinja'd!!! Sammyno55 > hillrat
01/29/2020 at 14:45

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That’s who I’m with, now. I can’t even understand why my rates went up. I moved from a townhome in an  arguably sketchy area to a much nicer middle class neighborhood. Other than this issue, I've nothing bad to say about them. 


Kinja'd!!! E90M3 > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 14:46

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I’m not sure what they look at. I know my insurance went down 33% when I moved from Savannah to Greenville, but my commute also went down significantly. 


Kinja'd!!! Ash78, voting early and often > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 14:47

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Most insurance discounts won’t offset the investment, it’s usually just a little bit of a bonus. A new roof saves me about $15/month (on $100 premium) but I’m not getting a new roof because of it :)


Kinja'd!!! Urambo Tauro > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 14:49

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My cars are too old to qualify, but I wonder if they work the same as the devices used in my employer’s   w ork trucks. Because my experience with the ones at work don’t give me much faith in their ability to a ssess my (or my coworkers’) driving habits .

Sometimes t hey’ll randomly beep for no reason (like under very light acceleration) , and other times it won’t beep at all, leaving it up to my supervisor to inform me about the flags my driving triggered . You’d think t hat it would beep immediately upon setting a flag, giving me instant feedback about where the threshold is. But a pparently not.


Kinja'd!!! hillrat > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 15:06

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Yikes, I’m shocked and grossed out to hear that USAA is on this kind of nonsense.


Kinja'd!!! Sammyno55 > hillrat
01/29/2020 at 15:17

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I'm baffled as well. 


Kinja'd!!! t0ast > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 15:56

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I’ve heard rumors that these things can be tricked with some occasional slow drives around the neighborhood and then tossing it into a corner somewhere with a power supply for the rest of the time. Otherwise, I say f that noise because—glaring privacy concerns aside—there’s no way they can realistically evaluate driver safety with an OBD2 dongle.

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Kinja'd!!! MUSASHI66 > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 15:58

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My car insurance through Costco (Amerprise, but just bought out by American Family) has been great - like half the price of State Farm.

I am will hillrat - fuck no. I am going to be last person in USA to sign up for one of those once they become mandatory - and you know they will. 


Kinja'd!!! Dusty Ventures > TheTurbochargedSquirrel
01/29/2020 at 16:52

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Wait why would it ding you if you drive late at night? What if someone works third shift?


Kinja'd!!! TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Dusty Ventures
01/29/2020 at 17:02

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The insurance company assumes that by driving late you are exposed to more drunks and worse driving conditions. You are statistically    more likely to have an accident if you drive in the middle of the night.


Kinja'd!!! 404 - User No Longer Available > Ash78, voting early and often
01/29/2020 at 18:16

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As the years went on, it slowly went from “let’s see how much you can save by being safer than average!” to “It’s going to cost you a lot more unless you use the tracker.”

The insurance equvalent of “You don’t have a Facebook page, so you must have something to hide, possibly a psychopath”.


Kinja'd!!! Djeifhfhfj > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 18:36

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I tried it with progressive. You can’t stop if a light turns yellow or you get dinged, which encourages you to run lights. They rated me an A and said I would get a decent discount. When the bill came I saved less than $20. When I asked why they said rates in my area went up. My sister lives down the street and opted not to do the obd2 monitor and progressive did not raise her rates at all . So it is a scam.


Kinja'd!!! Jayvincent > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 21:40

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time to shop for a new insurance company - anybody else will be happy to give you a discount to get a new customer, then slowly over time raise your fees... unless you switch every <5 years. Pro tip - you can ping pong between just two providers every 18 months and keep getting their special promo new customer rate if you are willing to deal with the paperwork hassle of switching. Looking at you, GEICO and Nationwide:  you know who I am...


Kinja'd!!! CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 22:19

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As an adjuster? No fucking way.


Kinja'd!!! DipodomysDeserti > Sammyno55
01/29/2020 at 23:20

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You moved to an area where people have more money, so they’re assuming you have more money to give them.


Kinja'd!!! ateamfan42 > Sammyno55
01/30/2020 at 08:26

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Those trackers sketch me out. No way is any insurance company going to use their Big Brother data for your benefit.

One autocross run with one of those in my car would likely freak them out anyway.


Kinja'd!!! Ash78, voting early and often > 404 - User No Longer Available
01/30/2020 at 09:06

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LOL...I’m so glad I’ve never ( overtly) faced that kind of discrimination professionally. I’ve gotten my last two jobs through reputation/word-of-mouth but now you’ve got me wondering if all the 23-year-old girls who populate HR departments have kept me from other opportunities along the way :)


Kinja'd!!! Sammyno55 > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever
01/30/2020 at 09:11

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Actually, I was thinking I'd seen an insurance adjuster on Oppo before. Thanks for your opinion. 


Kinja'd!!! Sammyno55 > Djeifhfhfj
01/30/2020 at 09:14

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I figured there were other people with data on this board. It seems that most people save less than $50 to give up their data. 


Kinja'd!!! Tristan > Sammyno55
01/30/2020 at 11:32

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I recently finished a 5 month period with a Progressive Snapshot device. F U C K N O.

I drove as cautiously as humanly possible for those five months. I averaged .03 fast accelerations per week and .27 hard brakes per week with zero late night drives on a daily 54 mile commute through Portland. I probably shaved 5 years off my life for the stress the stupid thing caused.

What did I get for my trouble? A $2.00 discount on my next 6 month policy. Thirty three cents per month.

Progressive: go shove your Snapshot device up your ass.