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> They don't want to make it clear to the people Wouldn’t a driving sim be the exact opposite of that? “To make our premiums accurately reflect your driving h

> They don't want to make it clear to the people Wouldn’t a driving sim be the exact opposite of that? “To make our premiums accurately reflect your driving habits and avoid lumping you into crude demographics like the other insurers, we offer all our customers an opportunity to take a spin in our driving sim and get a truly personalized rate reflecting your excellent driving habits.”

maxerickson 5y ago
But most people wouldn't get a rate based on excellent driving habits, they'd get a rate based on their actual performance.
pc86 5y ago
That's the exact argument they make for those drive tracking apps, isn't it? I don't think many people are buying that one, either.
- maroonblazer 5y ago
  Why wouldn't they? If I can prove I'm a better driver than the average Joe/Jane, and pay a lower premium as a consequence, why wouldn't I?
  - prepend 5y ago
    There’s very little upside - 5% discount for good driving- and lots of downside - 50% premium for bad driving.
    - mwint 5y ago
      I looked into getting one of those once, figuring I’m a safe driver and therefore would only benefit from it. What I found on the Internet were (self selected, admittedly) stories of the presence of the device making your driving less safe. Since it’s basically an accelerometer, sometimes it’s “safer” to take a curve fast than to brake for it. Or fly through a yellow rather than stop at it. I have no doubt there’s correlation between those devices’ scores and accident proclivity; but I’m confident my driving is safe as-is and would rather let premiums go down after accident-free miles than on the say-so of a nanny device. So I bought a dashcam instead, hopefully to avoid being ruled 50/50 at fault if someone hits me.
    - maroonblazer 5y ago
      My premium dropped more than 20% after adopting the tracker.
- hunter2_ 5y ago
  Those trackers see if you can drive calmly most of the time, which I imagine isn't nearly as age-dependent as a sim that tests emergency reaction time.
  - rconti 5y ago
    Which is interesting, paired with technology in cars that add additional braking force when they detect an emergency braking situation (quick lift off the throttle and immediate application of the brakes). Apparently studies have found that people don't brake hard enough before an accident. Good thing we're encouraging people to be even MORE afraid of the controls in their vehicles, lest their insurance companies ding them for hurting the accelerometer's feelings.

maxerickson 5y ago

But most people wouldn't get a rate based on excellent driving habits, they'd get a rate based on their actual performance.

pc86 5y ago

That's the exact argument they make for those drive tracking apps, isn't it? I don't think many people are buying that one, either.

maroonblazer 5y ago
Why wouldn't they? If I can prove I'm a better driver than the average Joe/Jane, and pay a lower premium as a consequence, why wouldn't I?
- prepend 5y ago
  There’s very little upside - 5% discount for good driving- and lots of downside - 50% premium for bad driving.
  - mwint 5y ago
    I looked into getting one of those once, figuring I’m a safe driver and therefore would only benefit from it. What I found on the Internet were (self selected, admittedly) stories of the presence of the device making your driving less safe. Since it’s basically an accelerometer, sometimes it’s “safer” to take a curve fast than to brake for it. Or fly through a yellow rather than stop at it. I have no doubt there’s correlation between those devices’ scores and accident proclivity; but I’m confident my driving is safe as-is and would rather let premiums go down after accident-free miles than on the say-so of a nanny device. So I bought a dashcam instead, hopefully to avoid being ruled 50/50 at fault if someone hits me.
  - maroonblazer 5y ago
    My premium dropped more than 20% after adopting the tracker.
hunter2_ 5y ago
Those trackers see if you can drive calmly most of the time, which I imagine isn't nearly as age-dependent as a sim that tests emergency reaction time.
- rconti 5y ago
  Which is interesting, paired with technology in cars that add additional braking force when they detect an emergency braking situation (quick lift off the throttle and immediate application of the brakes). Apparently studies have found that people don't brake hard enough before an accident. Good thing we're encouraging people to be even MORE afraid of the controls in their vehicles, lest their insurance companies ding them for hurting the accelerometer's feelings.