Ever wondered if your safe driving habits could actually save you money on car insurance? Well, with Allstate Drivewise, they absolutely can! Imagine a world where your responsible driving behind the wheel is recognized and rewarded, rather than just being another statistic. That's precisely what Allstate Drivewise aims to do. It's a program designed to personalize your auto insurance rate based on how you actually drive, offering discounts for safe behaviors.
This isn't some futuristic concept; it's a real-world tool available through the Allstate mobile app that can genuinely put money back in your pocket. Forget the old one-size-fits-all insurance approach; Drivewise helps Allstate understand your individual risk, and in turn, rewards you for being a cautious driver. Ready to unlock those savings? Let's dive in!
Understanding Allstate Drivewise: Your Path to Personalized Savings
Allstate Drivewise is a telematics program that uses your smartphone to monitor specific driving behaviors. The core idea is simple: the safer you drive, the more you could save on your auto insurance premium. It's an optional, free program that can lead to significant discounts at your policy renewal.
What Data Does Drivewise Track?
Drivewise tracks several key factors to assess your driving performance. It's not about constant surveillance, but rather identifying habits that indicate safe or risky driving. These factors include:
- Speed: How often you exceed high speeds (typically over 80 mph). Consistently driving within speed limits contributes positively to your score.
- Braking: The frequency and severity of sudden stops. Smooth, gradual braking is preferred over aggressive braking.
- Time of Day: How often you drive during high-risk hours, which are generally considered to be late at night (e.g., 11:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. on weekdays and 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. on weekends).
- Phone Activity: How often your phone is used while the vehicle is in motion. While this currently doesn't directly impact your discount, it provides valuable insights into distracted driving and encourages safer habits.
It's important to note that Drivewise follows the person, not the vehicle. The app uses your phone's sensors to detect when you're in a moving vehicle and employs algorithms to distinguish between a driver and a passenger. Only driver trips count towards your performance rating and potential savings.
Step-by-Step Guide: Getting Started with Allstate Drivewise
Ready to embark on your journey to lower insurance premiums? Here's a clear, step-by-step guide to setting up and using Allstate Drivewise:
Step 1: Engage and Download the Allstate Mobile App
First things first, let's get you set up! Have you ever downloaded an app before? Of course you have! This is just as easy.
- Find the App: Open your smartphone's app store (either the Apple App Store for iPhones or the Google Play Store for Android devices).
- Search and Download: In the search bar, type "Allstate Mobile" and download the official Allstate app. It's a free download, so no worries about hidden costs here!
Step 2: Log In or Create Your My Account
Now that the app is on your phone, let's get you signed in.
- Existing Allstate Customers: If you're already an Allstate policyholder, simply log in using your existing My Account credentials (your username and password).
- New to Allstate? No problem! You'll be prompted to create a new My Account. This usually involves providing some basic personal information and setting up a secure password. Make sure to keep your login details safe!
Step 3: Activate Drivewise within the App
This is where the magic begins! You're just a few taps away from potential savings.
- Navigate to Drivewise: Once logged into the Allstate mobile app, look for the "Drivewise" section or tap on the Drivewise dashboard.
- Activate and Accept Permissions: You'll be prompted to activate Drivewise. This is crucial. You'll need to accept the Terms of Service and grant the app certain permissions, such as:
- Location Services: This is paramount for Drivewise to accurately detect your trips. You'll generally need to set this to "Always" or "Allow all the time" for optimal tracking.
- Motion & Fitness/Physical Activity: This helps the app understand when your phone is in motion and differentiate between walking, cycling, or being in a vehicle.
- Disable Power Saving Mode (Android): On some Android devices, you might need to turn off power saving mode for the Allstate app to ensure continuous tracking.
- Enroll All Drivers: To maximize your potential savings, Allstate highly recommends enrolling all drivers on your policy. Each additional driver will need to download the Allstate mobile app on their smartphone, log in with their My Account credentials, and activate Drivewise with the necessary permissions.
Step 4: Start Driving and Earn Rewards!
You're all set! Now, simply drive as you normally would, keeping those safe driving habits in mind.
- Automatic Trip Detection: You don't need to open the app every time you drive. As long as your phone is on, has sufficient battery (at least 5%), and has location services enabled, the app will automatically detect when a trip begins (typically when a vehicle travels at least 15 mph for at least 1 minute).
- Monitor Your Progress: Within the Drivewise dashboard in the Allstate app, you can see real-time feedback, personalized driving insights, and a summary of your trips. This allows you to track your progress and identify areas for improvement.
- Consistency is Key: Your potential savings are calculated based on your driving behavior over a period of time, usually six months initially, and then based on the last 12 months of driving for subsequent renewals. The more consistent you are with safe driving, the better your chances of a significant discount. Aim for at least 50 trips within a six-month period for maximum savings.
Key Features and Benefits of Allstate Drivewise
Beyond just saving money, Drivewise offers several features designed to enhance your driving experience and promote safety:
- Personalized Feedback and Insights: Get detailed summaries of your trips, highlighting areas where you're doing well and areas where you could improve. This feedback can be incredibly valuable for becoming a safer driver.
- Crash Detection: This is a free safety feature within the Allstate mobile app. If the app detects a major collision (typically over 25 mph), it will send a notification to your phone offering immediate assistance, including options to call 911, get roadside assistance, or start an auto claim.
- Trip Summary & History: Review your past trips, see your parking location, and even get insights into family driving habits if multiple drivers on your policy are enrolled.
- My Challenges: Allstate sometimes offers safe-driving challenges within the app, providing an engaging way to reinforce good habits.
- Allstate Rewards: By participating in Drivewise, you may also earn points through the Allstate Rewards program, which can be redeemed for various benefits like merchandise, gift cards, and more. Even non-Allstate policyholders can sometimes participate in the Allstate Rewards program by using Drivewise.
- No Penalties for "Bad" Driving: A significant advantage of Drivewise is that your rates won't increase based on your driving performance. They can only remain the same or go down. This provides peace of mind as you strive for safer driving.
Important Considerations and Data Privacy
While Drivewise offers many benefits, it's natural to have questions about data privacy.
- Data Collection: Allstate, through its affiliate Arity LLC, collects data on your driving behaviors. This includes information about your speed, braking, the time of day you drive, and phone activity while driving.
- Location Data: While the app tracks your location for trip detection and mapping, Allstate states that only you can view your detailed trip route map in the app. Location service information is generally not available to those servicing your policy.
- How Data is Used: The data collected is primarily used to evaluate your driving performance and calculate your personalized insurance rate. Allstate maintains that information used to evaluate driving performance can only be viewed by you, your Allstate agent, and customer service representatives who help service your policy.
- Transparency: Allstate aims to be transparent about its privacy practices. It's always a good idea to review Arity's Privacy Statement for a comprehensive understanding of how your data is collected, used, and shared.
- Potential Concerns: It's worth noting that there have been recent class-action lawsuits filed against Allstate regarding the collection of driving data through third-party apps and car manufacturers, alleging data collection without explicit consent. While these are separate from the explicit opt-in nature of Drivewise, they highlight the broader conversation around data privacy in the automotive and insurance industries. As a user, it's always wise to stay informed and understand the permissions you grant to any app.
10 Related FAQ Questions
Here are 10 frequently asked questions about Allstate Drivewise, along with quick answers:
How to: Sign up for Allstate Drivewise?
Quick Answer: Download the Allstate mobile app, log in or create an account, tap on "Drivewise," and activate it by accepting the terms and permissions.
How to: Ensure Drivewise is tracking my trips?
Quick Answer: Make sure your smartphone has at least 5% battery, location services are set to "Always" with precise location enabled, and motion/physical activity permissions are granted. The app will automatically detect trips over 15 mph for at least 1 minute.
How to: See my driving feedback and score?
Quick Answer: Open the Allstate mobile app, navigate to the Drivewise dashboard, and you'll find your driving insights, trip summaries, and overall performance rating.
How to: Know if Drivewise is working properly?
Quick Answer: Check your Drivewise dashboard in the app. Trips should appear within 48 hours. If they don't, review your app permissions and phone settings (battery optimization, location services).
How to: Change a trip from driver to passenger in Drivewise?
Quick Answer: In the Allstate mobile app, go to your Drivewise Dashboard, select "View All Trips," choose the specific trip, and you should have an option to update the trip method (e.g., from driver to passenger).
How to: Maximize my savings with Drivewise?
Quick Answer: Focus on consistent safe driving habits: limit high speeds, avoid sudden braking, reduce late-night driving, and minimize phone use while driving. Ensure all drivers on your policy are enrolled and complete at least 50 trips within a six-month period.
How to: Understand what data Drivewise collects?
Quick Answer: Drivewise primarily collects data on your speed, braking habits, time of day you drive, and phone activity while in motion. For a detailed understanding, review the Arity Privacy Statement linked on Allstate's website.
How to: Turn off Drivewise or take a break?
Quick Answer: You can activate "sleep" mode within the Drivewise settings in the Allstate mobile app. Go to Profile > Settings > Drivewise and toggle it from "Active" to "Off," setting an auto-restart time if desired.
How to: Activate crash detection in the Allstate app?
Quick Answer: Open the Allstate mobile app, go to settings from your Drivewise dashboard, and turn on the crash detection feature.
How to: Find out how much I've saved with Drivewise?
Quick Answer: Your Drivewise discount will be applied at your policy renewal. You can typically see the details of your personalized rate and savings within your policy documents or by contacting your Allstate agent.
