Yeah, those apps are a joke up here. I tried one briefly and it flagged me for "aggressive acceleration"—like, sorry my car doesn't crawl from 0-60 in five minutes. Honestly, best luck I've had is calling around every year or two and playing insurers against each other. Loyalty doesn't pay like it used to, especially if you're driving something nice. And yeah...moose dodging should earn us discounts, not penalties.
Tried one of those apps too, and it dinged me for braking "too hard"...like, sorry for not gently coasting into a moose. Honestly, bundling renter's insurance helped me more than anything else. Worth checking out if you haven't yet.
I had a similar experience with one of those apps—apparently, braking to avoid wildlife is considered "aggressive driving" now... who knew? But yeah, bundling definitely helped me too. Another thing that worked surprisingly well was taking a defensive driving course online. It wasn't exactly thrilling, but it shaved a decent chunk off my premium. Might be worth looking into if you haven't already tried it.
Did the defensive driving course take a lot of time to finish? I've thought about doing one, but between work and the kids' schedules, it's tough to carve out extra hours. Also curious if anyone knows whether insurers in Alaska give discounts for installing wildlife deterrent devices on cars... seems like that'd be pretty relevant up here, right?
"Did the defensive driving course take a lot of time to finish? I've thought about doing one, but between work and the kids' schedules, it's tough to carve out extra hours."
I totally get the struggle with juggling schedules—been there myself. I did a defensive driving course online last year, and honestly, it wasn't too bad. Here's my quick take:
- **Time commitment:** Mine was around 4-6 hours total, but the good news is you don't have to do it all at once. Most online courses let you pause and pick up later, so you can squeeze in 30 minutes here and there after the kids are asleep or during lunch breaks. Took me about a week to finish mine that way.
- **Insurance discount:** Definitely worth checking with your insurer first. My provider knocked off about 10% from my premium after I completed the course. It adds up nicely over time, especially if you're insuring multiple vehicles.
About your wildlife deterrent question—interesting point! I haven't personally heard of insurers giving discounts specifically for wildlife deterrents here in Alaska (though it makes total sense given how often moose wander onto roads). But I do know some companies offer discounts for general safety upgrades or anti-theft devices. Might be worth calling your agent directly to ask if wildlife deterrents fall under any of those categories.
Also, quick tip from experience: even if there's no official discount, installing something like deer whistles or ultrasonic devices can save you from costly repairs down the line. Had a close call with a moose last winter—thankfully no damage—but it convinced me to invest in some extra protection for peace of mind.
Hope this helps!
