Snapshot Discount

This is a personal review of the Snapshot Discount by Progressive.

What Snapshot is about - recording your daily driving and monitoring a few items.
1. Records Miles driven.
2. Records time of day during drive time.
3. Records any time you decelerate more than 7 mph per second.

Why miles driven?
By tracking how much you drive and for how long can assist an insurance company in assessing how much of a liability you will be. The Snapshot device works with your car's computer system to monitor all these things. The connection is typically used by a mechanic to get readings from your car's computer to asses failure messages. In the same way the Snapshot can read from your computer and assess live activity.

Why time of day?
Time of day also relates in assessing liability. If your common drive times are during rush hour periods you are considered more of a liability. High risk times from Progressive are considered to be between the hours of 12 am and 4am. This is calculated by research done showing that higher amounts off fatal accidents occur during that time. Medium risk is between the hours of 4am to 9am, 3pm to 6pm, and 9pm to 12am. This is calculated based off higher traffic time (rush hours).

Why deceleration?
Decreasing speed by 7mph or more per second is considered a "Hard Brake" by Progressive. The more of these you have the more of a liability you are. Research done by a third party shows that drivers who have more hard brakes are more likely to be involved in a collision. This hard braking can come from having unsafe following distances, being distracted, or having a tendency to accelerate quickly.

How do you know if it's right for you?
If you avoid hard braking or stop–and–go driving, drive fewer than 30 miles per day, or avoid driving between midnight and 4 a.m., then you’re likely to save with Snapshot. Snapshot focuses on how, how far, and when you drive, NOT where you drive. The Snapshot device does not contain GPS technology and does not track vehicle location or whether you’re exceeding the speed limit. Progressive also doesn't know who is driving the car in which the device is plugged in. You can potentially save 30% off your Progressive bill. I personally saved 10%. My driving habit consisted of daily traveling over 100 miles and 3 hard brakes on average a week. Most of my driving time was during Medium risk times. Almost all makes and models after 1996 have the slot to plug your Snapshot device into the car's computer. So if you're worried if your car can use the Snapshot, model years 1996 and after will be able to use it.

The Snapshot device will beep at you when you have a "Hard Brake" and for most people this isn't much of a bother. It helps increase safer driving habits by alerting you to when you are braking hard. Many people wouldn't realize how often they brake hard but this device can help create some safer driving habits. One potential risk is that you will find yourself trying to avoid hard braking and you may end up closer to someones bumper than you had planned. You will have to change more than your braking pattern in order to take more advantage of the discount program and to avoid collisions. Following distance and safe stopping distance are two key habits to learn in order to take advantage of the discount program. Accelerating towards those yellow lights will also need to be reduced.

I hope you find this information useful.