Attention safe drivers in Illinois who drive infrequently, not too fast, and don't brake too much. Allstate will install a wireless sensor in your car to monitor your driving, and you'll save on car insurance.
Allstate announced Drive Wise, a voluntary program that rewards safe and low-mileage Illinois
drivers with discounts of up to 30 percent. The company plans to expand
Drive Wise to other states as early as Q2 2011. Get out your calculators on this one. If you are paying $1,000 a year for car insurance, you can save up to $300.
"Seat belts,
air bags, teen and distracted driving - they're all examples of
Allstate's leadership as a safe driving advocate. That legacy continues
with the introduction of Drive Wise," said Alice Byrne,
field vice president, Midwest region for Allstate. "By rewarding
drivers on a variety of safety factors, the roads become safer for
everyone, and the safest drivers reap the most benefits."
Drive Wise
rewards begin immediately when participating customers receive a 10
percent discount just for joining during the first policy term.
Subsequent policy terms shift to a performance rating approach, where
customers' driving behavior and total mileage driven over the course of
the policy term determine the discount. Rates will not go up based on
driving scores, but savings of up to 30 percent can be earned by drivers
with the safest driving and low mileage scores.
Program
enrollees receive a small, wireless telematics device that plugs into
their vehicle's onboard computer via the diagnostic port, which is under the
dash in most car models. No GPS data is collected. The device tracks
only those factors used to calculate a performance rating, including:
- Mileage.
- Driving time of day.
- Hard/extreme braking.
- Maximum speed (speeds over 80 mph affect ratings).
The design of
Drive Wise is the result of extensive consumer research and hundreds of
employee volunteers logging almost two million test miles. In one
employee test measuring hard stops, aggressive starts and swerving, the
percentage of participants scoring in the ideal "safe zone" tripled from
25 to 75 percent over the course of the test.
Adopted broadly, Allstate
believes Drive Wise has the potential to save thousands of lives and
millions of dollars in injury losses and property damage each year. Consumers can learn
more and sign up for the program by visiting www.allstate.com/DriveWise or by contacting their local Allstate agent.