
ELECTRIC INSURANCE
Great Driver Smartphone App
FAQs
Great Driver Smartphone App
FAQs
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Does Your Auto Policy Include the Great Driver App Discount?
Use the Great Driver app with your new Electric Insurance Company® auto policy1 and get an enrollment discount of 5% to 10%, a privacy-protected, objective analysis of your driving habits and environment, and customized tips to hone your skills.
Drivers who earn a good score after using Great Driver for 100 days can get a good renewal discount. Drivers with great scores can get a great renewal discount.
Q&A's
Q: How does the Great Driver discount work?
A: There are two phases of the Great Driver discount: Enrollment and Performance.- "Enrollment Discount" – Eligible drivers who download and activate the app receive an enrollment discount on their vehicle's coverage for at least one full policy term.
- "Performance Discount" – Once you have entered the Performance Phase of the program, you'll drive for at least 100 days and earn a score based on your total trip data. The score you and the other participating drivers on your policy earn will determine the amount of your policy discount when your policy renews after the Enrollment Discount expires. The Performance Discount is good for several years.
Q: How long does the Enrollment Discount apply?
A: Electric Insurance customers who start using the Great Driver app within the first 30 days of their new or renewing policy's effective period will receive the Enrollment Discount for the remainder of that policy term. Customers who start using Great Driver after the first 30 days of their policy's effective date will receive the Enrollment Discount for both that policy period (applied pro rata) and the next policy period, up to the subsequent renewal. At that point, any discount earned during the Performance Phase would apply.
Q: What is the average amount of the Enrollment Discount?
A: Current customers save an average of $127 through the Enrollment Discount.
Q: What happens if I don't download the app or drive within 30 days of my policy effective date?
A: You will forfeit the Enrollment Discount, and your premium will be adjusted accordingly.
Q: How long am I required to use the app in order to get the Enrollment Discount?
A: You will automatically receive the Enrollment Phase discount just for downloading and activating the Great Driver app and driving as you normally do. You must use the app for 100 days in order to be eligible for the Performance Discount, which is based on driving data.
Q: How is the Enrollment Discount applied to my policy premium?
A: This policy discount is applied to all vehicle-level coverages of the vehicle to which the app user is assigned as the primary driver on the policy. For example, if you are the primary driver of Vehicle A, you are considered the "assigned driver" of Vehicle A. If your spouse is the primary driver of Vehicle B, then he or she is the assigned driver of Vehicle B. If both of you download and use the Great Driver app, the discount would be applied to the premiums of both Vehicles A and B. If you are the only person on your policy who participates, then the discount would be applied to Vehicle A only.
Q: How will I know the amount of the Performance Discount I earned?
A: If you have earned a Performance Phase discount, you will see the term "Great Driver Discount Applies" on your auto policy's Declarations Page. The amount of the discount you earned will be shown on a separate page titled "Important Information About Your Discounts."
Q: Will the score I earn during the Performance Phase be applied to my policy when it next renews?
A: If you start using the Great Driver app within the first 30 days of your policy's first effective period, you will receive the enrollment discount for the remainder of that policy term, and any discount you earn during the Performance Phase will be applied when your policy next renews.
If you start using Great Driver after the first 30 days of your policy's first effective period (e.g., if you already had an auto policy with Electric Insurance before you joined the Great Driver program), you would receive the Enrollment Discount for both that policy period (applied pro rata) and the next policy period, up to the subsequent renewal. At that point, the earned Performance Discount will apply.
Q: Could my policy be canceled or not renewed if I have a low score?
A: No, Electric Insurance will not cancel your policy based on your Great Driver score. Great Driver's Terms and Conditions protect you from policy cancellation based solely on your Great Driver score.
Q: Will my premium go up if I have a low score? Will I be surcharged?
A: No, there is currently no risk of your renewal premium being increased or of receiving a surcharge as a result of your Great Driver score. It's even written into the Great Driver Terms and Conditions that your score will never be the basis for raising your premium or surcharging you.
Q: What happens if I don't earn the score I want in the first 100 days? Can I do anything to bring it up?
A: Yes! You have a chance to improve your score – and perhaps the Performance Phase discount you earn. Just continue to use the Great Driver app until 45-60 days prior to when your policy is due to renew.- If you use the app after the initial Performance Phase, the score you earn from the 101st day of participation to 45-60 days prior to renewal (depending on your state of residence) will be the one used for the renewing policy.
- If the post-Performance Phase score is higher than the one you obtained during the Performance Phase, it will be used to determine the discount that is applied when your policy renews.
- If the post-Performance Phase score is lower, the discount will be based on the Performance Phase score.
Q: Will my trips and data be deleted after they are converted into a score or at the end of the Performance Phase?
A: You will retain access to your information as long as you keep using the Great Driver app.
Q: How long does information remain on the app?
A: The information remains in Great Driver for as long as you keep the app.
Q: What if I don't think my score accurately reflects my driving skills?
A: The overall Great Driver score reflects both your driving skills and your driving environment. The badges (How You Drive, Phone Use, Time of Day, and Road Master) that you earn are good indicators of the "skills" component of the score.Other factors that affect the score include:
- The number of miles you drive;
- The type of road on which you travel most often (highways are often maintained better than local roads and do not have stop signs or traffic lights, which are frequently the location of accidents, so highway driving earns a higher score than local road travel);
- Weather conditions; and
- The time of day you drive.
Some factors, such as environment, time of day, and length of daily commute, may be beyond the driver's immediate control; that is why the Great Driver score never penalizes a driver with surcharges, and all users will have an enrollment discount for at least one policy period.
Q: What happens if the battery runs out on a trip or before I drive?
A: Great Driver simply will not record the trip. Great Driver monitors your phone's battery charge and generally will not record a trip if the phone's battery charge is below 10%.
How Great Driver Works
Q: How much does it cost to download the Great Driver app?
A: Not a thing – the app is free to use. Electric Insurance is dedicated to creating better drivers and safer roads.
Q: What does Great Driver measure?
A: Great Driver monitors vehicle motion and other data to develop personalized feedback about the user's driving practices and driving environments, helping them become safer drivers by making them aware of suboptimal driving practices, locations, and timing. It gathers data from position and inertial sensors and creates a score based on:- Smoothness of the trip (e.g., acceleration, braking, and cornering activity; pitch, yaw, and roll);
- The time of day of the trip;
- Mileage; and
- Highways vs. street driving and associated weather conditions.
Some factors are given more consideration than others when developing the score. The "driving tips" section will provide users with personalized driving tips on how best to improve their score.
Q: Will my score be affected if I use my mobile phone or don't stick to the speed limit when I drive?
A: No. While phone use/distracted driving is illegal in many states and speeding is unlawful, Great Driver does not factor either into your score. Electric Insurance does not condone distracted driving or speeding, but recognizes that:- Your phone may be moved for reasons other than your use (e.g., a passenger uses it while you are driving), and
- Short bursts of speed, such as are needed to lawfully pass another vehicle, are often legitimate and should not be penalized.
However, because both distracted driving and speeding create less-than-optimal conditions, Great Driver trip maps will show when your phone is in use or you drive faster than the speed limit.
Q: Do I have to install a device in my car?
A: No. Great Driver is much easier to use than a device you have to install in your vehicle. Great Driver is a smartphone app, so your vehicle's electronics system can't be hacked through Great Driver. You also don't have to go through the hassle of installing a device in your car or sending it back to us once you finish using Great Driver. Great Driver allows you to check your performance metrics on your smartphone any time of the day – device-based driving programs require you to log into the insurer's website.
Q: How can I find out if my smartphone is compatible?
- iPhone®/iOS® users: Versions 4s and newer are compatible with Great Driver.
- Android™ users: Most versions 4.4 and newer are compatible; a small number of Android phones will not work with the app. However, in this case the app would not display in the Google PlayTM store for download.
- The following phone service providers cannot support Great Driver:
- Alcatel® OneTouch
- Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
- Boost Mobile®
- MetroPCS®
Q: How much battery life does Great Driver use?
A: Testing in the pilot phase indicates that the Great Driver app may account for about 10% of overall battery use on your phone, depending on what other apps you have on your phone and your use of them. Great Driver monitors your phone's battery charge and generally will not record a trip if the phone's battery charge is below 10%.
Q: Is there an option to switch drivers within the app?
A: No. The app and user data are specific to the owner of the phone.
Q: Can I turn off the Great Driver app when I am not driving?
A: If you are concerned that your trip may be tracked when you are not the driver – don't be! Great Driver has a feature that allows you to log your trip as a passenger.
Q: Does the type of vehicle I drive affect my score?
A: While the type of vehicle on your policy is not considered in your score, there may be instances when the vehicle's configuration creates operational hazards. For example, vehicles with a high profile, such as some SUVs, may be prone to stability issues when cornering. Cornering that causes the vehicle to pitch and yaw would affect your score.
Q: What happens if the battery runs out on a trip or before I drive?
A: Great Driver simply will not record the trip. Great Driver monitors your phone's battery charge and generally will not record a trip if your phone's battery charge is below 10%.
Q: How do I delete the app after the Great Driver Self-Challenge?
A: You can delete the Great Driver app as you would any other app.
Privacy & Data Protection
Your privacy is a top priority for Electric Insurance. Actions that help ensure your data privacy include secure transmission of data from your phone to the scoring system, and privacy and data protection contracts with the scoring organization.
Q: I saw that another insurance company's driver evaluation program could be hacked to gain control of the vehicle's electrical system. Can that happen with the Great Driver app?
A: No, the Great Driver app resides on your cell phone and uses GPS data to evaluate your driving events. It does not interface with your vehicle's electrical system or transmission.
Q: Is Electric Insurance concerned about protecting my private data?
A: Yes – always! Respecting your privacy is an important part of our commitment to our customers. We have taken many steps to ensure our customers' privacy concerning the Great Driver app. These include secure transmission of data from your phone to the scoring system, privacy and data protection contracts with the scoring organization, and restriction of your data to associates who need the information to apply your discount.
Q: Will Electric Insurance use my driving data if I have a claim?
A: Electric Insurance will not use Great Driver data when reviewing a customer's claim. Please note, however, that the data can be subpoenaed by a third party in case of a claim against you.
Q: Is data shared with third parties?
A: Both your personal information and driving-related data are confidential and are provided to third-party organizations only for analysis and scoring purposes, or when Electric Insurance Company is legally required to do so. Organizations that provide scoring and analysis are prohibited from either sharing or using your personal data for any purpose other than determining your driving score and providing it to Electric Insurance.
Q: The app tracks the user's location; how does Electric Insurance protect that information?
A: The user's data is protected by a series of internal and external controls that restrict user data access to a limited number of key personnel who are required to follow a strict set of security encryption and access protocols.
Q: How do you approach data privacy and protection?
A: Your privacy is a top priority for Electric Insurance. Actions that help ensure your data privacy include secure transmission of data from your phone to the scoring system, and privacy and data protection contracts with the scoring organization.