Does Snapshot Register To Car Via Serial Number

Progressive Insurance is ambulation an extensive ad campaign promoting its Snapshot device, promoting it as a fashion to cut your auto insurance bills. It sounds expert, but it might not work out for everyone.

The humorous commercials warn of "rate suckers," those bad drivers who become speeding tickets, become into accidents, and cut you off on the expressway. The commercials point out those bad drivers are why your insurance rates are so high.

Merely essentially, that's how insurance works. Some people are good drivers, others aren't. Companies take the complete risk pool into account when assigning auto insurance rates. It'due south worked similar that for years.

Separating the proficient from the bad

Progressive'due south Snapshot plan seeks to split the good drivers from the bad, rewarding the former and punishing the latter. To participate you attach the Snapshot device to the estimator in your car, which collects information almost your driving habits.

Co-ordinate to Progressive, the device records your vehicle identification number (VIN), how many miles you drive each day and how often you drive between between midnight and 4 a.thousand. While it doesn't record your speed, information technology does brand notation when you slam on the brakes.

Subsequently driving with Snapshot for 30 days, you return it to Progressive and, depending on your driving habits, the visitor says you can get a discount upwards to 30%. Katie, from Philadelphia, says she got a 28% disbelieve and is featured in a promotional video on the Progressive website.

Not much driving

If you lookout the video you will note that Katie lives in a city neighborhood and walks to piece of work. In her video, she says she just drives her car in one case a week. Insurance companies admittedly love customers similar Katie.

But in reality, almost drivers are not like Katie. The commercials say that if you lot are a good driver, you can get a discount. Is there anyone who doesn't recall they are a good driver? We've heard from some consumers who say they tried Snapshot and were disappointed in the outcome.

"What they don't tell you is at the terminate of your snapshot period, if they run into fit, they will reevaluate your driving history and raise your premium," Danya, of Virginia Embankment, Va., wrote in a ConsumerAffairs post.

That'south true. Depending on what the data from Snapshot reveals, your rates can, in fact, go upwardly.

Two tickets simply no charge per unit hike

"I had Progressive for 12 years and they never raised my rate," Danya writes. "I literally had two tickets in ane yr a few years dorsum and they never raised my premium until ii days after I returned my Snapshot."

An anonymous affiche reported the aforementioned results. When they installed the Snapshot on their child's vehicle, they say the rates went upwards. Jamie, of Milwaukee, says he considers himself a good driver but his commute to work placed him at a severe disadvantage.

"My commute daily was around 20 miles, circular trip," he writes. "My acceleration from stops to go were skilful and braking was so-so, per Snapshot at the beginning. There where a few days when I had drivers leap in front end or crusade me, causing me to restriction difficult, so there must have been deductions based on that reason."

Brand an honest assessment

Proceed in mind that what an insurance company considers a safety commuter and what you consider a safe driver are not necessarily the same thing. It'south not just a matter of avoiding tickets and accidents. Progressive's idea of a condom driver is the only 1 that matters here.

Before plugging a information drove device into your machine and turning it over to your insurance company, it's best to honestly consider when, how and how far you drive your vehicle. If you lot don't see Progressive's idea of a safe driver, that discount could be elusive.