Alabama Drivers Can Now Save Big Bucks Based on How They Drive as Progressive Launches One-of-a-Kind Car Insurance Program

Optional Behavior-Based Car Insurance, MyRate^SM, Lets Lower Risk Drivers Pay Less

MAYFIELD VILLAGE, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Are you the poster child for safe driving, always leaving plenty of space between you and the car ahead? Or a business traveler who parks your car at the airport several days a week? Or maybe you have a car that you only take out for a spin on warm summer days. If so, your car is probably less likely to be involved in a crash, so shouldn’t you pay less for car insurance?

“MyRate is designed for consistent and safe drivers”

Progressive thinks so, and that’s why it’s introducing an optional car insurance program that offers lower rates on vehicles that are driven in less risky ways. The behavior-based insurance program, called MyRate, gives drivers a customized rate based on how, how much, and when their car is driven. It is now available to Alabama drivers who purchase polices online, by phone, or through independent agents.

“MyRate is designed for consistent and safe drivers,” said Richard Hutchinson, Progressive’s MyRate general manager. “It’s for people who drive at low risk times of day and who keep alert for others on the road. They don’t make fast lane changes or follow too closely behind other drivers so they don’t have to over-react or slam on the brakes.”

Drivers who choose to sign up for MyRate receive a small wireless device that plugs into a port in their car. The MyRate device allows Progressive to see how, how much, and when the car is being driven. Cars driven less often, in less risky ways and at less risky times of day can receive a lower premium.

Drivers with more than one car can select which, if any, of their vehicles to enroll in MyRate. For example, a person with a second car that isn’t driven that often may enroll that car in MyRate but may decline to enroll their other vehicle if it is driven much more frequently or during higher risk times of day.

New Alabama customers can earn a first-term discount of up to 10 percent just for signing up. Then, when they renew their policy, they could earn up to a 40 percent discount based on their driving habits. There is also a $30 technology expense each policy period for the cost of the device and data transmission.

“This is a brand new way to price car insurance that allows Alabama drivers to pay based on how they actually drive,” said Hutchinson. “We want to thank the Alabama Department of Insurance for making it possible for us to offer this unique car insurance option to drivers here.”

Progressive has been an industry pioneer in understanding that how you drive should affect what you pay. Its initial foray into usage-based insurance started in 1999 with a program in Texas called Autograph. Its next generation of usage-based insurance, TripSense^®, became available in Minnesota, Michigan and Oregon beginning in 2004. MyRate is now being rolled out countrywide, pending state regulatory approval.

Progressive has received patents on its methods and systems of implementing usage-based insurance and has licensed these methods and systems to other companies. Progressive has service marks pending on the terms Pay As You Drive^SM and Pay How You Drive^SM.

About Progressive

The Progressive Group of Insurance Companies, in business since 1937, is one of the country’s largest auto insurance groups, the largest seller of motorcycle and personal watercraft policies, and a market leader in commercial auto insurance based on premiums written.

Progressive is committed to becoming consumers’ #1 choice for auto insurance by providing competitive rates and products that meet drivers’ needs throughout their lifetimes, superior online and in-person customer service, and best-in-class, 24-hour claims service, including its concierge level of claims service available at service centers located in major metropolitan areas throughout the United States.

Progressive companies offer consumers choices in how to shop for, buy and manage their auto insurance policies. Progressive offers its products, including personal and commercial auto, motorcycle, boat and recreational vehicle insurance, through more than 30,000 independent insurance agencies throughout the U.S. and online and by phone directly from the Company. Private passenger auto products and prices are different when purchased directly from Progressive or through independent agencies. To find an agent or to get a quote, go to www.progressive.com.