Safe Driving Auto Insurance Discounts: Are They Worth It?

Have you been offered a discount from your auto insurance provider for being a safe driver? Here are a few things that you need to know about safe driving discounts to decide if it is worth signing up for the program.

Your Driving Will Be Tracked

Part of having a safe driving discount requires that you place a device in your car that is going to track your car. However, you may not fully realize the extent to which these devices are able to track your driving.

The device typically connects to your phone via Bluetooth, which is capable of tracking your car's location via GPS. This gives your insurance provider information about all of the trips that you take. They can see the frequency that you drive, where you are driving to, and what time of day you drive. As you may assume, nighttime driving is considered more dangerous than daytime driving, and that is all factored into your driving score.

Your Driving Will Be Rated 

The safe driving tracker also has the ability to rate your driving on a variety of factors. This is due to an accelerometer in the device, which can track how sharp you take a turn, how fast you accelerate, and how hard you brake. This gives your insurance provider a good idea about what kind of driver you are. If you tend to brake heavily at the last minute, it could result in a lower score that reduces your potential safe driving discount. 

You Should Not Be Penalized For Bad Driving Behavior

Some people are hesitant about signing up for a safe driving discount because they are afraid that bad driving behavior is going to result in actually having their insurance rates go up over time. It's important that you read the fine print of your safe driving program, but it is common for your driving history to not penalize you in a negative way that impacts what you pay. It's possible that you will not see a safe driving discount, but there is no harm in signing up to see how much you save. 

All Vehicle Driving Behavior Is Tracked

Keep in mind that the wireless beacon in your vehicle is going to track all driving behavior for your vehicle. This is important to keep in mind if you have other people in your household that drive your car. You'll want to make sure that everyone is driving safely to keep your safe driving discount high.

For more information, contact a local auto insurance provider.