State Farm Drive Safe app

[Cbilly17]

To help lower our insurance, we had to download the Drive Safe app. Of course it shows all of our trips, which now makes it difficult for me to visit someone. 
 

I read on the SF site that deleting the app could cause you to have your discounts revoked. I’m also not sure if it alerts the other drivers on your policy that you deleted the app.

 

Anyone here know a way around tracking without jeopardizing discounts or alerting others? Hopefully there’s a SF agent on this site.

[dbar123]

How much is the app really saving you?

Recently there have been some interesting articles in the Times concerning how certain cars (like GM) have internal software that tracks your same movements and the car companies have been selling this data to insurers. So even if you deleted the app they may still know where you’re going.

if you want to be totally anonymous you may need to turn off any internal car software as well

[pubic_assistance]

1 hour ago, Cbilly17 said:

it shows all of our trips, which now makes it difficult for me to visit someone. 

Why ?

[Cbilly17]

Because everyone using the app (all drivers) can see the trips you have made. If I make a trip to a hotel everyone using our account (family) can see it. 

[The Dude]

Does it use a beacon? Take the beacon out of the car when you make these trips to visit someone.

[Cbilly17]

It does have a beacon. My concern is does it alert anyone other than me that it has been removed or jeopardize my discounts?

[+ DynamicUno]

1. The beacon used for the insurance "safe driving" discount programs provides a proximity signal (i.e. your phone is close to the beacon) and some basic accelerometer data that your phone can capture while driving.  Your phone provides the GPS info and has it's own accelerometers.
2. If you're in a vehicle without the beacon present it not record a trip. It would be the same as if you were riding in an Uber or taxi.  It does not create any alert.  Someone who knows you're out of the house and is watching the app might notice the absence of a recorded trip to match that time, however.
3. Depending on your phone OS, your trip will be visible by other means (i.e. Google Maps/Timeline feature

If you're this concerned about people tracing your whereabouts, then you need to be looking at all the ways you can be tracked.  In which case you should have a burner phone that you only turn on when going to your meetings, leaving your usual phone at home.  You should also use an alternate means of travel than your personal vehicle, especially if there are tolls, red light cameras, or other systems that might catch your license plate and create a record of your movements.  Using public transit or a taxi paid in cash will create less of a record of your movements.  Of course, if someone finds your defensive measures, that may raise their own questions (why do you have a secret phone, secret accounts, etc).

If you have a lot to lose (family relationships, employment, etc.) by someone finding out that you've hired an escort, you need to consider that risk very carefully before you meet someone.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

On 7/15/2024 at 4:14 AM, Cbilly17 said:

To help lower our insurance, we had to download the Drive Safe app. Of course it shows all of our trips, which now makes it difficult for me to visit someone. 
 

I read on the SF site that deleting the app could cause you to have your discounts revoked. I’m also not sure if it alerts the other drivers on your policy that you deleted the app.

 

Anyone here know a way around tracking without jeopardizing discounts or alerting others? Hopefully there’s a SF agent on this site.

 

Being tracked is not worth the "discounts".  The app can even raise your rates if you have above average hard breaking/acceleration. 

I work for local government, and we just purchased the GM data for cars to help visualize which intersections have the highest rate of hard breaking or acceleration and even seatbelt usage in an effort to prioritize where we station police officers.  The data can be visualized by day of week, time of day, type of car, etc.

Delete the app.  Pay the few hundred dollars extra each year in insurance.  You'll save money and peace of mind in the long run.

Edited July 16, 2024 by Vegas_Millennial
Grammar

[+ José Soplanucas]

I love the app. I have been using for about 3 years now, and it helped me to be a safer driver and have less infractions tickets to pay.

[+ Lucky]

12 hours ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

I work for local government,

 

Must have a pretty liberal vacation policy what with all of the traveling you seem to do! 🙂

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

52 minutes ago, Lucky said:

Must have a pretty liberal vacation policy what with all of the traveling you seem to do! 🙂

Yes, that is the perk of our contract.  We may not get an end of year bonus or stock options, but we get generous vacations hours after we've been here 15 years or more.

[+ APPLE1]

I'd buy a Faraday bag. While there's a lot of theories and testing about which technology it does and doesn't block, the test is simple. If I put move phone in it, head to the gas station, and upon  returning home, it doesn't show my trip, it obviously looks like it blocks State Farm's technology.

Although, I am not sure I would take just 1 trip as proof positive, and since some devices/apps save data for transfer later, I'd probably consider looking at the app in a month to make sure my gas station trips were still in fact missing.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

5 hours ago, APPLE1 said:

I'd buy a Faraday bag. While there's a lot of theories and testing about which technology it does and doesn't block, the test is simple. If I put move phone in it, head to the gas station, and upon  returning home, it doesn't show my trip, it obviously looks like it blocks State Farm's technology.

Although, I am not sure I would take just 1 trip as proof positive, and since some devices/apps save data for transfer later, I'd probably consider looking at the app in a month to make sure my gas station trips were still in fact missing.

How about just turning the telephone off while you're making the trip?  Can't we live without our telephone for an hour?

[+ APPLE1]

6 hours ago, Vegas_Millennial said:

How about just turning the telephone off while you're making the trip?  Can't we live without our telephone for an hour?

NO we can't!!!! It'd likely cause a heart attack or at least a panic attack, and then you'd just have a turn it on and call 911. My god you must old! LOL!

On a serious note though, my understanding is that certain phones and apps still run in the background when the phone has been turned off.

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

9 minutes ago, APPLE1 said:

...my understanding is that certain phones and apps still run in the background when the phone has been turned off.

Time to change telephones

 

[Thomas_Belgium]

In my opinion a Faraday bag would drain your battery, I think it's better to turn on airplane mode, turn off wifi & turn off bluetooth. If you need to turn off airplane mode in an emergency, it takes about half a second or you can ask the digital assistant "turn off airplane mode".