Safe driving class and insurance discount

[SeaDawg]

It's time for me to take another online safe driving class to continue our insurance discount.

 

In Florida,  Paul and I save over $100 a year by taking a safe driving course online every  3 years. With AARP  $20 member, 24 nonmembers,  sometimes offer specials for the self-paced, online class.  Some places offer classroom style classes if you're so inclined.

 

Paul took the online class with some other company  this year. I'll stick with the AARP course. Its actually  interesting,  reminds you of safety rules, and gives some pointers..  I  didn't  mind the time, and feel I gained a little  something  above the insurance  discount.

 

50+ age in many states. Check yours. We received our discount almost immediately  after completing the course three years ago.

 

https://www.aarp.org/auto/driver-safety/

 

 

[SeaDawg]

So, I tried a different course this time, after all, and I can't really recommend it. Quite dull compared to the aarp course. The

American Safety Council course is $15 instead of $20, but the aarp class is still a better value, to me. More thought-provoking, more interactive, and much more interesting way to spend 6 hours of online time, IMO.

 

Sherry

[John E Davies]

My car insurance company doesn’t offer any discount, I asked ;( maybe my RV insurance will (Progressive). I know they advertise big discounts for the car insurance. Does anybody know if they will for Rv insurance?

 

 

 

EDIT: never mind, they have lots but not for a safe driver class. .... https://www.progressive.com/rv-trailer/discounts/

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[SeaDawg]

Good question. My RV insurance is through Good Sam's. Never thought to ask them.

Good Sam's insurance does allow you a discount when your RV is in storage. You just have to call. Saves a few bucks in the off season.

[SeaDawg]

I'm doing my course, again.

There's a lot of repetition,  but many screens are at least somewhat useful. 

Course was $18 or so. We"ll save $100 each. Per year.  3 years.

Check what your state,,and your insurance company offers.

For us, no brainer .

[Trainman]

We went with the State Farm Drive and Save program, now I know that many don't want that "Big Brother" thing looking over you, but if you don't think they already have that info on you, your kidding yourself. All new vehicles are recording your driving, if you don't think so, just ask Tiger Woods. As far a State Farm goes, it's saving me 20% on my premiums every 6 months, but this doesn't include the travel trailer as that program is just for autos. The app is on your phone and it will post every drive that you do and give you your results of each trip, we have been able to keep our rating between 90-95% and it does reset every two/three weeks. We find the hardest thing to do is stay within the speed limits on freeways and interstates as you know the traffic moves faster then the speed limits. I will say I have to set the cruse control at times as you will find yourself speeding rather easily. The SF agent says SF will not cancel you because of the driving recorded and you can stop the program at any time. I realize it may not be something you might want for many reasons, but for us it works. 

trainman

[John E Davies]

3 hours ago, Trainman said:

We went with the State Farm Drive and Save program,

My daughter was having trouble with insurance because of two at fault accidents while on our family policy. It screwed up our premium big time and when I kicked her off ours, her rate was sky high. She was 24. She used the State Farm thing and got a nice policy discount after six months. But I think being financially responsible for her own expenses probably had more to do with it😬 Our premium did go back down afterwards.

I am a conservative driver, but I do not want them tracking me.

Acceleration — The Drive Safe & Save app will dock you for accelerating too fast, so you’ll have to pay attention how fast you speed up after the car is stopped. The idea here is that quick acceleration can make the car hard to control. 

Braking — If you stop too fast, you’ll lose points, too. State Farm says it understands that braking quickly is sometimes unavoidable, but doing it often can mean you’re following the car in front of you too closely. Even if you have to drive in busy traffic that requires frequent braking, you’ll still receive a lower score. 

Cornering — The app doesn’t like sharp turns. The reasoning behind this is that you should give yourself enough time to make a steady, safe turn. Again, if you’re in busy traffic, keeping your score up in this area might be difficult. 

Using your phone — The app tracks your phone use whenever the car is moving, so looking at your phone while driving will affect your safety score. It’s important to pay attention to this, because if the app is turned on and records a trip when you’re a passenger and looking at your phone, this can also affect your safety rating.  This only happens in your own car, though. If you are a passenger in a vehicle that does not have a Bluetooth beacon paired with your phone, State Farm says, the app will not register the trip.

Speed — The app tracks the speed limit of the road you’re on, and your rating will go down if you exceed that speed limit by eight miles per hour or more. Some of us like driving fast on empty highways, which should be avoided if you want to get the most out of this program.

Time of Day — If you drive late at night, then you could lose points. The same goes for driving when traffic is too heavy. The idea here is that driving during heavy traffic or late at night increases the risk of accidents. If your work schedule means you have to drive during these times regularly, this program may not offer much benefit. 

https://time.com/nextadvisor/insurance/car/state-farm-drive-safe-and-save/

And of course, if you are out of cell range it does nothing at all….

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Trainman]

John, our biggest one we get dinged for is Braking and Speeding second.  Our Speeding since we started using the Cruse Control on the freeway/interstate as been under control, but braking just under normal driving is still a little touchy. All being said, our scores are around 90-95%, so SF thinks that's very good and I'm not going to work at being better, that's it.

trainman