Allstate adds six more states to usage-based insurance program, introduces mobile app

NORTHBROOK, Ill., April 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Now available in 16 states, Allstate's usage-based insurance device, Drivewise^®, continues to improve driving behavior and reward customers for safe driving. Today, Missouri, Indiana, Minnesota, Maryland, Utah, and Washington State join 10 others delivering constant feedback to drivers through a website designed to help identify and improve driving habits. Drivewise measures things such as mileage, braking, speed, and time of day when a customer is driving. Using that data, Allstate calculates a discount for each customer using its telematics technology.

Today, Allstate also introduces a usage-based insurance app for smartphone users. Available for free download through iTunes^® or Google Play^™, the new Drivewise app provides near real-time updates with each trip and provides easier access to customers on the go (Before using the new Drivewise app, customers must register the application by entering their user ID and password, which must initially be setup online).

"This provides our customers a method to quickly identify ways to improve their driving and, at the same time, be rewarded for safe driving habits," said Allstate's Senior Product Vice President Ed Biemer.

Originally launched in Illinois in December 2010, Drivewise continues an aggressive rollout this year, with the majority of Allstate's marketplace expected to have the usage-based insurance tool by the end of 2013.

To date, more than 400 million miles have been driven by customers using the device and of those receiving a driving discount, the average savings is at 14 percent. The Drivewise program remains popular, too, as more than a third of all new customers enroll where it is available.

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Upon signing up for and using the device, customers automatically receive a 10 percent enrollment discount and after the first six months of use, the enrollment discount is replaced with a performance discount based on the driving habits demonstrated.

"We know Drivewise can create a safer, more self-aware driver and, it remains our goal to offer usage-based insurance to as many of our customers as possible so we can encourage safer driving and pass along a significant discount for it," said Biemer.

Employing advanced telematics technology, Drivewise plugs into the on-board diagnostic port found under the dashboard/steering column on most cars (1996 model year and later) to track driving behavior. Participants can easily plug in the small, wireless telematics device, and then go online or use the new smartphone app to learn about their habits behind the wheel and identify what they can do to become safer drivers.

The web portal and app also display the potential performance discount a customer may be eligible for based on their driving habits, so drivers can constantly connect the way they drive with how much they can save. Rates will not go up based on driving scores, but savings of up to 30 percent can be earned by drivers with the safest driving scores and lowest mileage.

For more information, please visit: www.allstate.com/drivewise.

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, serving approximately 16 million households through its Allstate, Encompass, Esurance and Answer Financial brand names and Allstate Financial business segment. Allstate branded insurance products (auto, home, life and retirement) and services are offered through Allstate agencies, independent agencies, and Allstate exclusive financial representatives, as well as via www.allstate.com, www.allstate.com/financial and 1-800 Allstate^®, and are widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate^®." As part of Allstate's commitment to strengthen local communities, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate employees, agency owners and the corporation provided $29 million in 2012 to thousands of nonprofit organizations and important causes across the United States.

SOURCE The Allstate Corporation