Why does my driving behaviour (UBI) affect my auto insurance premiums?
Simple, the better you drive, the more you save. Insurance companies offer telematics discounts such as Intact’s My Driving Discount (Telematics) which rewards you with a discount by assessing your acceleration, braking, and the time of day that you drive. This is also called User Based Insurance (UBI). UBI customizes the insurance rates based on individual driving habits. Intact has initiated a program that rewards your good driving behaviour. It does not account for locations, so whether you are in Toronto, Mississauga, Windsor, or driving across Ontario, you can save. Simply plug the Telematics dongle into your car and drive.
How much can I save on Auto Insurance with Intact’s My Driving Discount (User Based Insurance (UBI)/ Telematics)?
You instantly save 5% when you sign up for Intact’s My Driving Discount and are eligible to save up to 25% upon renewal. This means that all you need to do to instantly reduce your insurance premium by 5% is plug in your UBI/Telematics dongle. To make sure you get the most of your discount upon renewal ensure to avoid heavy acceleration or hard stops when braking.
How do I get My Driving Discount?
Follow these three simple steps to start receiving your My Driving Discount:
Step 1: Start by getting an Auto quote
Get an Auto Insurance quote and select an insurer that offers a Telematics Discount (many of our partners will be implementing soon) to begin taking advantage of the My Driving Discount/Telematics Discount today. With Intact's My Driving Discount you automatically get a 5% enrollment discount.
Step 2: Setup your My Driving Discount/Telematics dongle
Your telematics dongle will arrive anywhere in Ontario by mail a few business days after your enrollment in the My Driving Discount/Telematics Discount program. After it arrives, remove the packaging, then simply plug it into the OBD port (On-Board Diagnostic system) of your car and drive.
Connecting your My Driving Discount/Telematics dongle is as simple as locating your OBD (On Board Diagnostic) port. It's a small socket in your car that can usually be found under the dashboard or close to the steering column. If you need help finding yours, check your vehicle's owner's manual.
When you activate and install the device, we will send you an email describing how you can log in to access your custom telematics dashboard. This dashboard will show you your potential discounts. Logging in to your dashboard will provide you with feedback on your driving habits, stats and your potential savings at policy renewal time.
Step 3: Save on your Auto Insurance
Depending on how you drive, when renewing your auto insurance policy, you may be eligible for up to 25% of your entire auto insurance premium.
Don’t worry, all information captured by the dongle cannot be used against you in the case of an accident or brush with the law. Unless you want to access it to prove you were in fact not speeding or not at fault for an accident or damage to your vehicle. This means that you will never have to disclose any information related to your driving habits. The information is only sent to your insurer.
Grow or maintain your Telematics Discount (from 5 to 25%)
- Cautious, considerate, and Canadian driving.
- Accommodating and predicting another driver’s actions while avoiding heavy braking situations and accidents in general will help increase your savings. This means leaving a healthy amount of space in front of your vehicle will help prepare you for any driving scenario.
- This does not mean that if you happen to find yourself in an unexpected situation that heavy braking will cause your premium to increase. However, if you have to brake heavily frequently, this is indicative of poor driving habits. Don’t worry, no matter how poor your driving habits your insurance company cannot increase your premium and you still receive a minimum of 5% off your premium for signing up for the Telematics.
- Drive like you always do.
- Similarly, by avoiding heavy acceleration and excessive top speeds, you are more likely to save more. This means that obeying traffic laws and accelerating at a regular pace to highway speeds will increase your likelihood of saving.
Who is collecting my Information?
Many Ontarians are hesitant from a privacy perspective as to what information is being gathered and more importantly who has access to this information. Although telematics devices also record GPS data, other data collected includes driving habits, braking and acceleration trends, and time of use. Analyzing such habits can significantly encourage a reduction in premiums since insurance companies can determine good driving habits against those which traditionally lead to accidents. Through protection agencies such as FSCO & PIPEDA, the Ontario government closely monitors the use of such private information and ensures the proper collection, storage, and use to avoid any misappropriate resale or application of your personal information.
What are they collecting it for?
As technology continues to play a role in our daily lives to help improve accessibility, ease and convenience of use, and predictive analytics, this new adoption of technology by insurance providers helps identify risk on an individual basis. Historically, an insurance company would analyze data and trends segmented based on postal code, age, gender, vehicle model, etc. Today, through the insurer initiatives, individualized rating is close to perfection – placing us one step closer to rating based on individual drivers rather than demographics.