New Program from Progressive - ‘Tripsense’ Can Offer Big Discounts

There's good news for motorists who driver fewer miles than the average driver. A new program from Progressive is inspired by legislation in Texas allowing insurers to charge by the mile. Progressive Direct introduced Tripsense to Minnesota in 2004, and is now expanding the program to include Michigan and Oregon. If you don't know about Tripsense, here's a newsflash: You could be saving hundreds of dollars a year without doing anything differently!

Driving Less, Saving More

Tripsense is designed for drivers who don't drive as often or as far. Over 6,000 people in Minnesota are currently using Tripsense instead of their regular insurance, and they're saving an average of 11% every six months! Drivers in Michigan and Oregon could see similar savings. Drivers in Michigan currently spend about $980 yearly on their car insurance, and Oregon drivers spend about $750. Motorists in those states who qualify for the maximum discounts could be saving as much as $245 in Michigan and $188 in Oregon every year!

It just makes good sense that car insurance companies would reward drivers who drive less often. The more time that you spend in your vehicle, the more likely that you are to get in an accident. After all, it's hard to be involved in a car accident when you're staying at home, or when you're riding the bus. Whether you use alternative forms of transportation, or just don't drive very much or very far, you can still benefit from by-the-mile insurance. Tripsense is just another way that car insurance companies can save you money if you know where to look.

How Do I Participate?

If you live in one of the participating states, and you think you would qualify for a discount with Tripsense, contact your Progressive agent. You will be given, free of charge, a small device that plugs into your car's diagnostic port and monitors the amount that you drive. You simply download your data from the monitoring device to your personal computer at the start of each policy period. If your driving data qualifies you for the Tripsense program, you can begin saving right away.

You can view your data, beforehand and even decide whether or not to submit it to Progressive. You can even use Progressive's online calculator to modify your driving habits to save even more money. The best part is that you will get a 5% discount on your policy, just for signing up! If you choose to share your data, you could be earning up to 25% off! If you think you might qualify for a discount, you have nothing to lose by signing up. You can find more information at Progressive's website, or by contacting your Progressive agent.

If you do a little searching, you'd be surprised how much money you can save on your car insurance. If you live in a state that doesn't participate in Tripsense, you could still be saving money each month. Using sites like carinsurancerates.com can help you find the best deal. You might not be eligible for Tripsense, but you might be able to save with a program or company that you didn't even know existed. Don't spend more money than you have to for car insurance!