Progressive Insurance Snapshot Device

That was my biggest gripe with the Allstate version... 7mph/second to 10mph/second was considered “hard braking” and anything over that is “extreme braking.” I could trigger the hard braking thing by simply coasting up some hills and never touching the brakes 🙄 Canceled that crap as soon as I could and I’ll never do it again.
 
I thought $257/6mths was decent. A boring Toyota and a boring Subaru and we pay about that per car. Other companies were doggone near double that when I checked. How are people finding full coverage for under that LOL?
I'm not with Progressive on cars, but I agree that is a reasonable cost per car. Assuming that includes Collision. That's close to what I pay for the 2 newer vehicles I have on my policy with not so great book values. 7 and 8 year old Scions.

The "snapshot" thing would be a loser for me, even though I'm a defensive driver. Too many deer running across the road and nutcakes crossing lane centers. All sorts of data is available from cars otherwise to law enforcement and possibly deals with Insurance companies.
 
Progressive sucks. A friend of mine was riding his bike and some dude just crashed him. They tried to claim he was lane splitting. Luckily the driver right behind him had a dash an video. Stay away from that company
 
drunk came down the highway & veered into me as I came to a stop on my shoulder.
Progressive put points on my license. The drunk side-swiped two other cars before he stuffed his Ford Escort wagon into my Mom's full size LTD.
Do not trust them (Progressive) as far as you can toss'em.
Since when does an insurance company "put points" on a license? You mean they assigned some fault to you?
 
I hate to break it to you, but if you have airbags, you probably already have one.
Insurance companies don't have a legal right to access the data stored on the ECU. Obviously that goes out the window when the driver installs a device owned by the insurer.

However as more automakers team up with insurers to provide real-time data...ugh. I don't even want to think about it.
 
Insurance companies don't have a legal right to access the data stored on the ECU. Obviously that goes out the window when the driver installs a device owned by the insurer.

However as more automakers team up with insurers to provide real-time data...ugh. I don't even want to think about it.

Possibly true - I'm not familiar with U.S. law. I took a look at the relevant section from the Washington State Legislature (https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.35.030) and it seems to speak to ownership, and that the owner needs to consent or a court order needs to have been issued. I have to think that the insurance company becomes the owner once they cut you a check for the car, but again, I'm not sure how that has played out in court.
 
I need to learn the secret to paying what some of you guys pay for insurance. I review coverages and rates every 2 years, and the last time I did it, all the competitors were higher. Here's my renewal (Safeco) coming due May 1st. I don't know if it's Texas, or what's to blame, but insurance is back-breaking here. I'm 51, no tickets, just one claim for a hit & run that happened a month or so ago, which didn't seem to affect rates much. Kind of mind-blowing that a 2017 Focus ST base costs more than a fully loaded 2018 Mustang convertible. 252hp vs. 310hp, and a cloth roof. Their algorithms are definitely strange.

$ 257 / 6 months would be a dream.


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I had a snapshot device once in my Silverado. Whenever I would stop at a light which was up a very steep hill, the device would log a hard stop. I barely touch the brakes in that situation and the truck stops fast. I'd have to coast my way up the hill, which isn't actually possible. Complete waste of time.

On the flipside, I put one in my new Mustang (before it became a track car) and barely got any infractions. Makes no ****ing sense.
 
I need to learn the secret to paying what some of you guys pay for insurance. I review coverages and rates every 2 years, and the last time I did it, all the competitors were higher. Here's my renewal (Safeco) coming due May 1st. I don't know if it's Texas, or what's to blame, but insurance is back-breaking here. I'm 51, no tickets, just one claim for a hit & run that happened a month or so ago, which didn't seem to affect rates much. Kind of mind-blowing that a 2017 Focus ST base costs more than a fully loaded 2018 Mustang convertible. 252hp vs. 310hp, and a cloth roof. Their algorithms are definitely strange.

$ 257 / 6 months would be a dream.


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A lot of it may be your area.
Since I'm not familiar with the Texas market, I can't speak specifically to it.
However, as a point of reference, I will tell you what I pay in Ohio.
Full coverage on all four vehicles in my signature, 250K/500K bodily injury, 250K property damage, 5K medical payments/person, 250K/500K uninsured/underinsured, $250D comp, $500D collision. Not including my 1M umbrella, I pay $1017/year.
I found a good independent agent and shop every 2 years.
I have been with the same company 27 years. Have beaten price once by $50./year. This was from a company that is well known to jack rates on renewal. (ended up getting a quote through my college alumni association.) When I went to pair up home insurance if I made the change, I found that the change would basically be a wash.
My company gives us excellent service. They proved that to us through how they handled themselves during a 7 year long lawsuit when some woman hit my wife and sued. Frankly, it would take a huge number to get me to switch, and with longevity and other discounts, I question whether I could find anything that would make it worth my while to switch. Heck, I insure my pickup for $7.41/month, full coverage with discounts.
I always recommend finding a good independent agent or broker that can capture a multitude of companies. Not only the captive, well advertised ones, but the regional lesser known ones. I've found many times that there is real value that can be realized there. Also, do these companies offer longevity discounts and other discounts. With my carrier, I qualify for 11, including one that states that since I have been a customer for at least 15 years, no surcharge will be applied to the policy for future at fault accidents.
Some markets are just horrible to insure vehicles in. My sister in Florida just told me a recent horror story she had, and her costs are horrible as well. In those cases, you just shop the best you can and do as well as you can.
 
These threads pop up time to time. The bottom line is nobody on here (unless they are in the business) can possibly figure out how insurance companies come up with their rates. TO THE OP-one of the factors they take in to account is your age. And if you are an older individual (and based on what you said it would seem so) then that alone, according to the insurance companies is a risk factor. As stated-get an agent who handles multiple companies and don't be afraid to switch companies-even annually if it's to your benefit.
 
I need to learn the secret to paying what some of you guys pay for insurance. I review coverages and rates every 2 years, and the last time I did it, all the competitors were higher. Here's my renewal (Safeco) coming due May 1st. I don't know if it's Texas, or what's to blame, but insurance is back-breaking here. I'm 51, no tickets, just one claim for a hit & run that happened a month or so ago, which didn't seem to affect rates much. Kind of mind-blowing that a 2017 Focus ST base costs more than a fully loaded 2018 Mustang convertible. 252hp vs. 310hp, and a cloth roof. Their algorithms are definitely strange.

$ 257 / 6 months would be a dream.


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Yeah, upped me to about $1000 for both 3 years back (like a 98% increase in one 6 month period) so I did some shopping. No accidents, DUIs, nothing to account for doggone near doubling. On my third insurer in life, every time they've about doubled my rates for no apparent reason and I find someone else. Really odd to me why this has happened twice.
 
I need to learn the secret to paying what some of you guys pay for insurance. I review coverages and rates every 2 years, and the last time I did it, all the competitors were higher. Here's my renewal (Safeco) coming due May 1st. I don't know if it's Texas, or what's to blame, but insurance is back-breaking here. I'm 51, no tickets, just one claim for a hit & run that happened a month or so ago, which didn't seem to affect rates much. Kind of mind-blowing that a 2017 Focus ST base costs more than a fully loaded 2018 Mustang convertible. 252hp vs. 310hp, and a cloth roof. Their algorithms are definitely strange.

$ 257 / 6 months would be a dream.


View attachment 54332

In TX, the county where your address located will determine insurance rate.
For example: the rate is higher in Dallas county than in Collin, they are bordering each other.
This is valid for the big 5 metroplex in TX (Dallas, Austin, SA, Houston, El Paso).
So, if you are living in Dallas, make sure your address is in the sorrounding counties (Collin, Denton, Rockwall, etc.).
 
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In TX, the county where your address in the insurance will determine the rate.
For example: the rate is higher in Dallas county than in Collin, they are bordering each other.
This is valid for the big 5 metroplex in TX (Dallas, Austin, SA, Houston, El Paso).
So, if you are living in Dallas, make sure your address is in the sorrounding counties (Collin, Denton, Rockwall, etc.).
I'm in Collin. Shopping around for a better rate. I don't think I deserve to pay over $100 a month to insure a 4-year-old car, at my age and annual mileage. I paid less than that when I was a teenager, but that was Wyoming.
 
The snapshot device gave me a nice discount, even with a couple of hard braking events... iirc, it would beep on you if you braked too hard. I think I got about 25% off.

Daily driving a manual, imo, forces you to become more efficient driving in daily life, to minimize the starts in 1st gear as much as possible, but that driving does lead to some hard braking when someone sees the gap you left and then fills it.
 
These threads pop up time to time. The bottom line is nobody on here (unless they are in the business) can possibly figure out how insurance companies come up with their rates. TO THE OP-one of the factors they take in to account is your age. And if you are an older individual (and based on what you said it would seem so) then that alone, according to the insurance companies is a risk factor. As stated-get an agent who handles multiple companies and don't be afraid to switch companies-even annually if it's to your benefit.
How about if I leave Progressive after only 6 weeks?
I think I may find a better rate from a local brick and mortar office.
 
Since when does an insurance company "put points" on a license? You mean they assigned some fault to you?
I suppose so. Found out later. Guess it does not pay to be on your own shoulder when a drunk comes through driving by Braile?
Once I saw my driving abstract I remembered Progressive's name & avoid them. I 'caused' the accident because my headlights were on.
Fun Fact: drunks drive towards the lights. All I had to do was turn them off & he would've passed me by & stuffed it into some other driver.
But I did not know that decades ago.
 
Besides the stupid hard braking scam on those devices, I also encountered another issue, lack of use. I had the device on a secondary car, and they raised my rates claiming that since I (for the most part) wasn't driving the car, they could not accurately rate my driving. At this point, they are making up excuses.
 
I called a used car dealer that I tend to like and asked for a place to get better rates on my insurance policies. He referred me to a brick & mortar place 25 miles from here, so I called them today and they're nice people. I talked on the phone with them for about an hour and they offer me insurance from Erie Insurance Co. He said they will insure both my car and house, and claims they will not insure just anyone, and says they only deal in 13 US states. And the policies he recommends have better coverage for $69 a year lower cost.
I don't think I'm going to get insurance for much less than $514 a year anywhere unless I just get basic liability.
Both of his policies would cost me $1032 a year which saves me $69 over Progressive / Nationwide plus has better coverage. I will get $0 deductible glass coverage, and instead of $50,000 / $100,000 I get $250,000. The deductible lowers by $100 a month if I have no claims, up to $0 deductible. Or I could get the same auto coverage I have now for $44 less per year than Progressive, plus it contains better coverage and less deductibles. He thinks I should get the $250k in case I hit someone with a $50k truck and they tried to sue me. But keep in mind I only drive 4k miles a year, but most of it around town going to buy food.
The home insurance covers theft with a $0 deductible and will cover things like a new heat pump for a $1000 deductible. Also they will pay more to replace my house if need be, about $25k more than Progressive.
I doubt Progressive offers this much, and if they do, they didn't make me aware of it.

He was very enthusiastic about why I should get these policies, and it seemed good to talk to him about this.
It made me realize that I may need this better coverage, even if it happened to cost more, but it doesn't.
 
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