Have you ever wondered how your car insurance company knows exactly how you're driving? In today's world of smart technology, programs like Allstate's Drivewise are changing the game. If you've enrolled in Drivewise, you're probably curious: how does Allstate Drivewise know I'm driving and what exactly is it tracking?
It's a fantastic question, and one that many drivers have as they consider enrolling in usage-based insurance programs. These programs promise potential discounts for safe driving, but they also involve a deeper level of monitoring than traditional insurance. Let's break down the mechanics behind Allstate Drivewise and how it keeps tabs on your time behind the wheel.
How Does Allstate Drivewise Know I'm Driving? A Step-by-Step Guide
Allstate Drivewise primarily uses your smartphone to gather driving data. While older versions or specific programs might have utilized a plug-in device, the Allstate mobile app is now the primary tool. It leverages the advanced sensors already built into your phone to detect and analyze your driving behavior.
Step 1: Enabling the Power of Your Smartphone
The very first step in Drivewise understanding your driving habits is activating the feature within the Allstate mobile app and granting it the necessary permissions. This is where you, the user, directly engage with the system.
- Download and Log In: First things first, you need to download the Allstate mobile app to your smartphone and log in with your Allstate account credentials.
- Accept Terms of Service: Upon activating Drivewise, you'll be prompted to accept its Terms of Service. It's crucial to read these carefully, as they outline what data will be collected and how it will be used.
- Grant Permissions: This is the most critical part. To function correctly, Drivewise requires specific permissions from your phone:
- Location Services (Always Allow): This is paramount. The app needs to know your location at all times (even in the background) to detect when a trip begins and ends, and to map your route. Without "Always Allow," your trips might not be recorded accurately, or at all.
- Motion & Fitness (iOS) / Physical Activity (Android): These permissions allow Drivewise to access your phone's accelerometers and gyroscopes. These sensors are vital for detecting motion, speed, and changes in direction, which are key indicators of driving.
- Battery Optimization Settings: For Android users, it's often recommended to disable battery optimization for the Allstate app. Power-saving modes can sometimes restrict background app activity, leading to missed trip data.
Why is "Always Allow" location so important? It ensures the app can reliably detect when you start moving at driving speeds, even if the app isn't actively open on your screen.
Step 2: The Sensors at Work: Your Phone's Internal Detectives
Once enabled and permissions are granted, your smartphone essentially becomes a sophisticated telematics device. Drivewise leverages several of your phone's built-in sensors to collect data:
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GPS (Global Positioning System): This is the backbone of location tracking. GPS data allows Drivewise to:
- Identify Trip Start and End Points: By monitoring your phone's location, the app knows when you've started a drive and when you've reached your destination.
- Map Your Route: While the map of your trips is primarily for your reference and not directly used for scoring by Allstate, it provides a visual representation of your journey.
- Calculate Distance Traveled: The GPS precisely measures the mileage of each trip.
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Accelerometer: This sensor detects changes in speed and direction. Drivewise uses the accelerometer to identify:
- Hard Braking: A sudden decrease in speed, indicating a forceful stop.
- Rapid Acceleration: A quick increase in speed, which can be perceived as aggressive driving.
- Cornering (in some versions/states): Sharp turns can also be detected by the accelerometer.
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Gyroscope: This sensor measures the orientation and angular velocity of your phone. While closely related to the accelerometer, it helps refine the understanding of your phone's movement and distinguishes between a phone moving in a car versus other types of movement.
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Phone Activity Data: This is a crucial and often overlooked aspect. The Drivewise app is designed to detect phone handling behaviors while driving, such as:
- Unlocking your phone
- Scrolling
- Typing
- Accepting or making calls (non-hands-free)
This phone activity monitoring is a key factor in how your distracted driving is assessed.
Step 3: Defining a "Trip" and Data Collection Parameters
Allstate Drivewise isn't tracking your every tiny movement. It defines a "trip" based on specific parameters to ensure it's capturing actual driving behavior.
- Speed Threshold: The app typically begins detecting a trip when the vehicle travels at least 15 mph (approximately 25 km/h) for a minimum of 1 minute. This helps filter out walking, cycling, or very short, low-speed movements.
- Continuous Monitoring: Once a trip is detected, the app continues to collect data on your driving behaviors throughout that journey.
- Battery and Cellular Service: For accurate tracking, your phone needs to be on, adequately charged (often above 5%), and in an area with sufficient cellular service.
Step 4: Analyzing and Scoring Your Driving Behavior
The raw data collected by your phone's sensors is then analyzed to generate a driving score and provide feedback. Allstate's affiliate, Arity LLC, is responsible for collecting and processing this driving data.
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Key Driving Behaviors Monitored for Scoring:
- Speed: Consistently exceeding speed limits or driving at very high speeds (e.g., over 80 mph or 125 km/h) can negatively impact your score.
- Hard Braking: Frequent instances of abrupt braking indicate less smooth and potentially less safe driving.
- Time of Day: Driving during riskier hours, such as late at night (e.g., 11:00 PM to 4:00 AM), can affect your score.
- Phone Distraction: Any interaction with your phone while the vehicle is in motion is flagged as distracted driving and can significantly lower your score.
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Feedback and Insights: After each trip, the Drivewise app provides a summary, often including a map of your route (visible only to you) and highlighting any "events" like hard braking or phone use. You'll receive personalized feedback and insights to help you understand and improve your driving habits.
Step 5: Distinguishing Driver from Passenger
A common concern is whether Drivewise can tell if you're the driver or a passenger. While the app tracks the phone, it has algorithms designed to make this distinction.
- Algorithmic Analysis: Allstate's system attempts to determine if you were the driver or a passenger based on the patterns of acceleration, braking, and overall phone movement within the vehicle.
- "Not My Trip" Feature: Importantly, if a trip is incorrectly identified as you being the driver when you were a passenger, you can mark it as "Not My Trip" within the app. This removes the trip from your overall driving score.
Step 6: The Impact on Your Insurance Rates and Rewards
The data collected and the driving score generated directly influence your potential savings or rewards.
- Enrollment Discount: Many Drivewise programs offer an initial discount simply for enrolling.
- Earned Discount/Cash Back: Over a monitoring period (often six months), your driving performance is assessed. Safer driving habits translate into greater discounts on your renewal premium or even cash back rewards, depending on your state and program.
- No Penalty in Some States: While some states allow your rate to increase for high-risk driving detected by Drivewise, Allstate states that in many cases, if you don't receive a discount, your premium will not increase as a result of participating in the program. Always check the specific terms for your state.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Allstate Drivewise
Here are 10 common "How to" questions related to Allstate Drivewise, along with quick answers:
How to activate Allstate Drivewise?
Download the Allstate mobile app, log in, accept the Terms of Service, and grant all requested permissions (especially "Always Allow" for Location and Motion/Physical Activity).
How to ensure all my trips are recorded by Drivewise?
Make sure your phone's location services are set to "Always Allow" for the Allstate app, your battery is sufficiently charged (above 5%), and you have good cellular service. Disable any battery optimization or power-saving modes for the app.
How to improve my Allstate Drivewise score?
Focus on driving at safer speeds (below 80 mph/125 km/h), avoiding hard braking, limiting driving during late-night hours (e.g., 11 PM - 4 AM), and most importantly, avoiding phone usage while driving.
How to mark a trip as "Not My Trip" if I was a passenger?
Within the Allstate mobile app, go to your Drivewise Dashboard, find the specific trip, and select the option to mark it as "Not My Trip" and provide the reason.
How to check my Drivewise driving score and feedback?
Open the Allstate mobile app and navigate to the Drivewise Dashboard. Here you'll find your trip summaries, driving insights, and your current driving score.
How to stop participating in Allstate Drivewise?
You can typically turn off Drivewise permissions within the Allstate mobile app settings, or you can uninstall the app.
How to troubleshoot if Drivewise isn't recording my trips?
Check your phone's location permissions (ensure "Always Allow"), battery optimization settings, and cellular signal. You may also try restarting your phone or reinstalling the Allstate app.
How to know if Drivewise will increase my premium?
While Allstate states that in many states your premium won't increase if you don't earn a discount, some states do allow for rate increases based on risky driving behavior. Always review the specific terms and conditions for Drivewise in your state.
How to minimize phone distraction detection by Drivewise?
Simply put: do not use your phone while driving. Put it away, use hands-free options, or activate a "Do Not Disturb While Driving" mode on your device.
How to get the maximum discount with Drivewise?
Consistently demonstrate safe driving behaviors (safe speeds, smooth braking, limited late-night driving, zero phone distraction) and ensure all eligible drivers on your policy enroll and actively participate in Drivewise. Some programs also require a minimum number of trips.
