Progressive ins/Geico ect OBDII plug in device.

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I got one of those things you plug in your diagnostics port when I got new insurance with progressive, I've always shy away from them, about a week after I got the device we moved so I put 1,200 miles in the Camry in two days, a week later I got stuck in the mud and the thing went crazy as I was trying to get un-stuck! the thing beeps at me if I stop just a little to quick, when I got stuck in the mud it literally beeped probably 50 times as I went from drive to reverse, being new to the area also I have gotten lost and taken the long way home and I am driving more than ever too,in summation I guess I got it at the wrong time, I am not even sure how long i am supposed to keep it plugged in, I consider myself an excellent driver and this stupid thing makes me feel like I am not a good driver! does anybody else have experience with these dongle things?
 
No the stupid thing beeps (in certain states only?) if you stop to quick, how it judges that I have no idea, it's cellular/GPS I believe.
 
I thought people were paranoid for suggesting these things are like doing research for the ins. company for free, now I can totally see that being the main push by the ins. companies for them, especially if it has access to GPS.
 
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There's speed data in that OBDII stream. I have heard elsewhere that it judges quick stops. You'd think they want to keep that a secret, so people don't rear end others out of trying to preserve some measly discount.
 
It's either looking at the rate of acceleration or deceleration ... or using the built-in gyrometer that many vehicles have.

Yes, they beep if you do anything "too hard". Friend of mine has one. He let someone borrow his car. It was beeping the entire time they were driving.
 
I have been involved with driver monitoring in the oil industry for a long time. The OBD stream will provide acceleration and deceleration rates for the vehicle and many monitoring systems can be set to beep as a warning for hard/extreme braking or acceleration along with speeding. If there is a GPS component to the data, it's pretty easy to see that you weren't moving at the time of the alerts and they can be interpreted correctly as wheelspin. Not sure what Geico uses, but here are a few examples:

http://www.davisnet.com/drive/products/driveright_600E.asp

http://www.fleet.vdo.com/
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
I am not a tea partier, tea bagger or a teetotaler ...but I say... remove that thing and proceed to smash it to oblivion on the ground!



I refused the device and lost the 'discount' because it was too 'Big Brother' for my liking.

PS: Most 'tea partiers' are in one political party while most 'tea baggers' are in the other.....
 
Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
I want to get one and then do a HPDE track day.


A guy on another forum I am on did that. He said it was awesome. I think he has a NASA either AI2 or AIX car that still runs OBD2. The acceleration alone would set off the monitor.

That being said, we have had numerous vehicles come into the shop with codes galore that disappear when you unplug the monitor.
 
Originally Posted By: zach1900
No the stupid thing beeps (in certain states only?) if you stop to quick, how it judges that I have no idea, it's cellular/GPS I believe.

How much of a discount are you getting with this? For me, the discount would have to be huge to put up with such khrap.
 
So much fear. The device doesn't use GPS. It uses the computer to track your driving. Time of day, acceleration and braking are the things they track. I used it with Progressive, and got a 20% discount. If you drive at night or you're an aggressive driver, don't use it. If you can drive within the criteria to get a discount, use it and save money.
 
Since I can get rates substantially lower than progressive with carriers who don't require this level of a tattle tale device, I'll just use them. On top of that, we have had issues with fleet vehicles that use similar types of dongles triggering weird codes that go away when they aren't used.
 
Won't make much of a difference anyways...granted, I don't like stuff like that messing with my cars.

They were taking about that here in MI of making those nearly mandatory here, or take an increase in what you pay. Add that to to the highest rates in the US, and soon highest tickets(and tows) for not having insurance (500-700 bucks, get your car towed). It is what happens when the insurance companies own your state!


To give you guys an idea, I did a bit of research. Now I have all good points for insurance (Age, credit, etc). I plan to put my 10 year old Cavalier back on insurance (in garage now). Here in MI, the quote was 1500 bucks a year for basic PLPD. For giggles, I quoted the same exact car in ohio: 269 bucks a year. Now that is just plain sad......


Back o topic-my MIL has one of those "things", ad it did give her a bit of a discount at first. Not so much anymore...
 
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