How New Technology Inspires Safer Driving Decisions
We live in a very modern world that puts computers and technological innovations at the forefront of our lifestyle choices and decisions. It may not be for everyone, but most modern vehicles on the market have fancy new amenities that just weren’t realistic or affordable even a decade ago.
When it comes to driver safety and saving money, many insurance companies have taken advantage of the era by providing discounts to drivers who enroll in smart ride insurance programs. Trackers and gadgets, often on your own phone, aid the companies in surveying your safe driving habits and then rewarding the driver for their conscientious approach.
What is a smart ride device? Is it worth it to use one for discounts on your insurance? We’ll examine the risks and benefits of using technology to improve your driving habits.
How Smart Ride Technology Works
You can opt to put a device in your car that will track things like braking, speeding, and turning habits while you are driving in your daily routine. The Motorcycle Safety Lawyers add that these types of products are available for motorcyclists too, saying, “There are many smart products on the market that offer safety functions like incident and speed detection, distance and weather checking, etc.”
And while it can be pretty fun to buy some new toys for your car, often people feel that these extra pieces of tech are a hindrance and get in the way and instead opt for the phone app route.
Many companies allow you to download their app, which will track your driving habits through things like navigators, although there are some chances of this GPS technology going wonky, too. All in all, though, there shouldn’t be any inconveniences to the user in how the tracking works, and you then need to weigh the benefits of enrolling in the program with the costs of the insurance rates.
Will you actually save money with smart ride discounts?
Just like with any type of marketing, there can be some stretching of the truth in claims that you will save money with these discounts. Companies like Nationwide claim that they will give customers up to 40% off their auto insurance premiums with perfect driving habits, but self-reported discounts have been half of that at 20%.
Even at those rates, you can expect that you will get quite a few Benjamins knocked off your bills with safe driving habits catered to the smart ride technology. It’s rare that money is actually tied to inherently important objectives in modern society. You should want to drive safely without any other rewards because not getting in a fatal crash is good enough.
Still, everything’s value comes back to finances. If companies can find a way to encourage safety in ways that weren’t possible with meeker technology in the past, they should absolutely go for it and consumers should oblige in signing up.
Humans love being told they are doing well. More than getting discounts, having a tangible way to track your good driving habits perpetually builds upon itself and leads to even more heightened awareness while out on the road.
It’s awesome that vehicle technology can be more than just bells and whistles to brag to your friends about. Tell them how it’s improved your lifestyle and maybe they’ll want to try it, too.
Shawn Laib researches and writes for the insurance comparison site, ExpertInsuranceReviews.com. He enjoys helping drivers and their families get the best rates and stay safe on the road.