Felt like I was being punished for other people’s bad driving half the time.
Same here. I tried the tracker thing last year and it docked me for “hard braking” when a cyclist cut me off—what was I supposed to do, just hit them? It got old fast. Ended up switching back to a regular policy, even though it’s pricier. Sometimes paying a bit more is just less hassle, especially in city traffic.
Honestly, those trackers can be more trouble than they're worth, especially in city driving. They don’t always account for real-world situations—like, what are you supposed to do, just not brake? I get why you switched back. Sometimes paying a bit extra is just the price for not having to argue with an app about your own driving.
Sometimes paying a bit extra is just the price for not having to argue with an app about your own driving.
I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, if you’ve already racked up a few tickets, those trackers are sometimes the only way to keep your rates from going totally off the rails. Here’s how I look at it:
Step 1: Accept the tracker. Yeah, it’s annoying, but if you drive mostly during the day and avoid hard stops (as much as possible), it can actually help. I had one on for six months—hated it, but my premium dropped after.
Step 2: Don’t stress every little “event.” The apps aren’t perfect, but they’re not out to get you either. Most of the time, a few hard brakes won’t kill your score unless it’s constant.
Step 3: If city driving is killing your score, try to plan routes with fewer lights or heavy traffic. Not always possible, but even a small change helps.
I’d rather deal with a naggy app than pay double just because of my record. Not saying it’s fun, but sometimes you gotta play the game.
I get why you’d go with the tracker, but honestly, I’m a bit wary of them. I’ve read stories where folks got dinged for stuff like “hard braking” when someone cut them off, and it just felt unfair.
Maybe not, but the tech isn’t perfect either. I ended up calling around to smaller local insurers and found one that didn’t even offer a tracker option—rates were a bit higher than the big guys with the app, but at least I didn’t have to worry about my phone judging my every move. Sometimes peace of mind is worth a few extra bucks, you know?“Don’t stress every little ‘event.’ The apps aren’t perfect, but they’re not out to get you either.”
Honestly, I get the peace of mind angle, but is paying more really worth it if you’re already struggling with higher rates from tickets? I’m not wild about trackers either, but if it saves a chunk of cash, I’d probably risk the occasional unfair “ding.” Tech’s annoying, but my wallet’s hurting more.
