2 driving apps that help you save on insurance
There's an app for just about everything these days. Especially in the driving world. So it's not exactly a shocker that there are a few out there that can help you save money on car insurance.
As technology continues to improve, the number of quality apps that can either directly or indirectly lower car insurance premiums will only grow. But in 2017, here are a couple you should hone in on.
1. DriveWell
Brought to you by two MIT professors with a desire to make the world's roads safer, DriveWell is the best app on the market for shaping positive driving habits. That was the goal when Hari Balakrishnan and Sam Madden co-founded Cambridge Mobile Telematics (CMT) in 2010, and seven years later, it's come to fruition thanks to the company's excellent flagship app.
DriveWell does intense vehicle tracking (it uses GPS and also serves as a trip logger) and then uses that data to evaluate drivers and give them concrete ways to improve. They are assigned a score out of 100 over a set period of time, which is based on things like braking and acceleration performance, execution of driving maneuvers, and phone distraction.
Showing DriveWell data to an insurer would be a surefire way to get a discount on just about any car insurance policy. Numbers don't lie!
2. Drivemode
Let's face it: we're all addicted to our phones in 2017. Whether we're using them for practical purposes or just goofing off, it's hard to stay away from cellular devices for even just the short amount of time it takes to drive to the local grocery store.
Some cars have gotten ahead of the curve and installed some sort of high-tech voice control technology. Not every driver has that luxury though, which is what makes an app like Drivemode so appealing to the general populace.
Founded in 2014 by entrepreneurs from Zipcar and Tesla Motors, Drivemode's eponymous app gives drivers complete control over their phones in the car without compromising safety. It utilizes voice-activated technology to eliminate 95 per cent of the swiping and clicking that are ordinarily required for phone usage. Navigating between apps is a streamlined process that happens seamlessly with Drivemode.
A driver who always uses Drivemode is a driver who's committed to safety. That should be worth a discount in the eyes of an insurer, considering how big of a role phone distraction plays in crashes these days.