Is State Farm’s Drive Safe and Save Program Worth It?
Last Updated on January 4, 2022
You have been driving for years without any infractions on your record, and because you’re confident in your driving abilities, you would like to see your insurance premium go down. Today, more and more insurance companies are offering driving tracking apps so that good drivers like you can get rewarded for those years of safe driving.
State Farm is one of those insurance companies that are now offering their clients ways to save on their annual insurance premiums. The Drive Safe and Save program does a usage-based analysis and then determines how much you could save on your premium. It works similarly to the telematics programs offered by other major insurance programs, except State Farm will give you up to 50% off your insurance premium, which beats out most competitors (who barely go past 30 to 40%).
Determining if the Drive Safe and Save program is worth it for you will depend on your daily driving habits, how much you are saving now, and a few other factors. Read our State Farm Drive Safe and Save review below to see if this program makes sense for you.
How the Drive Safe and Save Program from State Farm Works
State Farm’s program automatically gives you 5% off your premium just for signing up and trying it out. The program isn’t the same as others who will send a device and track your vehicle. Instead, State Farm offers a few ways to use the Drive Safe and Save program.
Initially, the company only offered this discount opportunity to owners of vehicles with third-party monitoring systems like OnStar, but now you can also download a mobile phone app from their website. State Farm can also send you a tracking device if you do not have OnStar or the mobile app. The device plugs into the diagnostic port, which means you can only use them on vehicles manufactured after 1996. Cars before this date are unlikely to have the diagnostics port on the driver’s side.
Once you download the app or install the device, you will leave it there for a set amount of time, and you can track your driving habits and current data on the app as well as their website.
What Does State Farm’s Drive Safe and Save Program Monitor?
With State Farm, it is more than just mileage they are looking at; instead, they want to track your overall driving habits to see how safe you are and if you are a low-risk individual. The less risk for an accident, the more likely State Farm is to give you the discounts you deserve.
Some areas State Farm monitors include:
- How much you accelerate and brake at a fast pace. Are you the type that comes to a stop last minute? Do you tend to gun it at a green light? These habits are considered reckless and high risk, which means State Farm may not lower your premium much – if at all. The more hard brake and fast accelerations you have listed on your record, the less likely you are to save much from the program.
- How quickly you turn and the speed at which you turn. State Farm also monitors if you slow down for turns, how sharp you are, and the overall speed at the time of the turn. After all, the faster you go on sharp turns the more likely you are to encounter a rollover incident.
- Your total mileage during the watch period. While you drive, the app calculates how many miles you drive per day and then estimates that for your yearly. When you first signed up for insurance, you would have indicated how many miles you drive annually, which plays a role in your premium estimate. By using Drive Safe and Save, State Farm has a more accurate estimate. The fewer miles you drive, the more you will save.
- How fast you drive when you are driving. State Farm also tracks your average speed just to make sure you are staying under the speed limit for most areas. Basically, if you stay under 80 miles per hour, you should see savings. After all, they have no way of telling when you are not on the highway.
- The time of day you drive the most. Accidents are more frequent between midnight and 5:00 am, along with rush-hour traffic times. Therefore, State Farm will look at the times of day you drive and how often/how many miles you put in that hour. The more hours and miles in the danger zone, the harder it will be to get to that 50% savings. If, however, most of your driving occurs outside of the window, you will save a lot more.
Final Word – State Farm Drive Safe and Review
To conclude our Drive Safe and Save review, let’s just say that it can’t hurt to try it out. There is no guarantee you will unlock the full 50% discount, but there is no risk for using the program. Regardless of what results you receive from the monitor, your premiums will not go up. Most drivers should still unlock as much at 5 to 10%, which is always something that will add up over time. If you have any further questions in regards the Drive Safe and Save program, please read State Farm’s FAQ or contact your State Farm agent.
