Have you ever wondered what type of driver you are? In Wisconsin, car accidents are more likely to be fatal — potentially because of adverse driving conditions. Knowing what type of driver you are is the first step towards protecting yourself and your family, as well as ensuring that you have the right auto coverage and limits. Telematics, now used by companies such as Safeco, Nationwide, and State Farm, is one of the best steps forward in insurance technology.
How Does Telematics Help?
Telematics is a system by which auto insurance companies can track how you drive. They can see how safe you are at driving, where you usually drive, and what kind of risks you might face. You might have a commute that’s five minutes or a commute that’s fifty minutes. You might drive primarily in the city or mainly in rural areas. All these things affect the types of coverage you should have, and the coverage limits you should have to keep yourself and your family covered.
Not everyone is aware of the intricacies of their daily driving. Someone could estimate they drive perhaps twenty minutes a day when it’s much more than that. Telematics reveals detailed knowledge about your driving for both your auto insurance company and yourself.
How Does Telematics Work?
Telematics is usually installed through an app on your phone. It’s that simple. You install an app, and it automatically detects when you’re driving by detecting the speeds at which you’re moving. From there, it determines how you’re maneuvering and how fast you’re driving.
There are also more technologically advanced solutions, such as devices that plug directly into a port in your car. Those are even more advanced because they can tell exactly what you’re doing to control your vehicle.
Either way, the data is analyzed and reported back to the auto insurance company. You can look at the data, too. It’ll tell you more about how you generally drive and even give you insights into how you can improve your driving. Some of them will also compare you to other drivers in the area, and let you know how well you’re doing compared to them.
How Do You Get Telematics?
Many of the large companies today offer telematics. The major advantage of it is that you’re going to be able to see exactly what types of coverage you need. Telematics solutions can tell auto insurance companies what services and limits their customers are more likely to need. Overall, it means boutique, customized auto insurance that is designed for you. But if you’re interested in telematics, you have to find a company that supports it.
Telematics solutions are optional. So if you don’t want to get more information about your driving, you don’t have to. But if you’re interested in learning more, and potentially even having information to back you up during a claim, a telematics program could be right for you.
Do you want to find out more about telematics solutions, and the auto insurance technology that’s currently in use in Wisconsin? Contact an agent at Glass Insurance Center to learn more about how auto insurance technology is changing.
