Can your insurance go up with a black box?

Yes. Progressive Snapshot can raise your rates, unlike the usage-based insurance programs offered by some other major auto insurance providers. Roughly 20% of drivers see their auto insurance rates increase after using Snapshot, according to Progressive. Good drivers save an average of $145 per year with Progressive Snapshot, however. Plus, in most states, new Progressive customers get an automatic discount just for participating in the Snapshot program (an average of $26), though the discount expires when it’s time to renew your policy. The sign up discount is not available in Alaska, California, Hawaii, North Carolina or New York.... read full answer

For those who aren’t familiar, Progressive Snapshot is a usage-based auto insurance program that uses telematics to monitor and analyze driving information, like the time of day, distance and a driver’s acceleration and deceleration habits. Progressive uses that data to personalize customers’ insurance rates based on their unique driving habits. To participate in Progressive’s Snapshot program, you must either download the mobile app or use a GPS device that plugs into the OBD-II port of your car, which is usually found under the steering wheel.

How to Reduce Your Risk of Progressive Snapshot Raising Your Rate:

• Limit rapid acceleration and braking
• Avoid driving between midnight and 4 a.m.
• Avoid driving on weekends
• Stay off your phone while driving
• Drive less overall (carpool if you can)

Enrollment in the Progressive Snapshot program is free and available in all 50 states, as well as Washington D.C. You can sign up for it online or by calling an agent at 1-877-329-7283. Just note that if you ever decide to opt out of the Snapshot program, Progressive retains the driving data and analytics information it collects indefinitely.

A black box can detect a driver’s speed, location, acceleration, braking, cornering, daily mileage and other driving habits. Car insurance companies use the information black boxes detect to determine premiums and discounts for drivers participating in telematics insurance programs, also called usage-based insurance.

A Black Box Can Detect:

• Speed
• Location
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• Driving times
• Braking habits
• Cornering habits
• Acceleration habits
• Daily mileage

Different insurance companies will use the data collected by black boxes for different reasons, however. For instance, some insurance companies use the data detected by black boxes to calculate either a rate increase or a discount for customers, based on how safe or risky their driving habits are. Other companies won’t punish bad drivers, using black box data only as a source of potential discounts.

Finally, it’s important to note that a black box telematics device is different from an event data recorder (EDR), which is also called a “black box.” EDR black boxes are crash-resistant devices that record data points about the moments before, during, and after an accident – like a vehicle’s speed, brake application and throttle position, as well as if seat belts were in use, if airbags were deployed and other variables. These devices are only meant to be used by law enforcement and insurance companies to extract data about a crash, and are not something the average driver would access.