Number of Auto Insurance Cos. Offering Mileage-Based Discounts Grows

Columbus -- Free-Press-Release.com-- Oct 24, 2011 -- The number of major car insurance companies offering discounts to drivers who use monitoring devices that track their driving habits grew this month with the launch of Travelers’ new IntelliDrive program.

Currently, only the company’s Illinois, Oregon, Virginia and Ohio auto insurance policyholders have access to the discount.

Travelers’ new program—which uses an electronic device installed in a policyholder’s vehicle to track information including the number of miles driven and “driving style”—could help policyholders cut their premiums and keep an eye on their youngest drivers.

According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), using mileage and driving records to help set premiums is nothing new, but programs that relay information electronically mean that insurers no longer have to rely on policyholders for mileage estimates and drivers get faster feedback on unsafe driving.

Travelers says IntelliDrive customers could be eligible for a 5 percent discount for enrolling in the program and another discount of as much as 20 percent—depending how many miles they drive—at policy renewal.

The program will allow motorists to check their personal driving reports online, according to the company. And parents can sign up for email alerts on their children’s driving that include information on how fast and where the vehicle is driven, among other things.

III has stated that teenage drivers are more dangerous than other motorists because of a mix of immaturity and inexperience, along with a greater propensity to drive distracted and to engage in other risky behaviors.

Safety experts say teenagers are three times as likely as other drivers to be involved in a fatal crash, and crashes are the leading cause of death for teens.

Source: http://www.nhtsa.gov/Teen-Drivers

To learn more about this and other safety and insurance issues, readers can go to http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/ohio/ where they will find informative resource pages and a rate-comparison generator that help drivers in any state evaluate their coverage options.

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Online Auto Insurance
Gregor McGavin
http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/