Drive Wise program will be tested out by agency owners and other workers.
The Allstate usage based insurance program called Drive Wise is now being put to the test by agency owners and other employees of the company who are interested in trying it out.
This crowdsourcing method will install the device into vehicles across the country.
It will be making sure that the telematics device will be used by agency owners and employees in many different states, to have them try it out and provide opportunities to better its use and experience as the company works to broaden the program.
Ohio, Arizona, and Illinois already have the Allstate usage based insurance program.
By the end of 2012, several other states will also benefit from Drive Wise opportunities. This will allow participating drivers to take advantage of potential discounts based on their good driving habits.
This specific crowsourcing usage based insurance effort is geared toward having the device installed into a large group of actual people who are enrolled in the program. Allstate has previously tested the device internally for over 350,000 hours and 11 million miles of driving, to accumulate enough driver data to help to build a solid knowledge of the way that safer driving habits can be recognized and how they can help a policyholder to earn a discount on their premiums.
Interestingly, the usage based insurance internal testing brought about notable changes in the way that the employees who were a part of the study were driving. For instance, one quarter of the group of testers initially scored within the “safe zone,” but as the testing continued, that proportion grew to 75 percent.
According to the auto product operations senior vice president at Allstate, Bob Otis, “Our early experience with Drive Wise indicates telematics technology has the potential to save lives, reduce injuries and save millions of dollars in property damage each year.”
Otis added that “Launching this crowdsourcing test of our unique, usage based insurance device, will help us create a better product for our customers, while encouraging our employees and agency owners to examine and improve their own driving habits.”
