Disadvantages of Pay as You Drive Insurance

Written By: Tom Martens on February 9, 2010 No Comment

Pay As You Drive plans are one of the most popular innovations in auto insurance of 2009. As their name suggests, Pay As You Drive plans charge drivers on the basis of how many miles they drive. Drive less, save more. In tough economic times, the idea of reducing this one monthly bill almost all of us have to pay is very appealing. However, Pay As You Go has a downside.

First off, if you use Pay As You Go, you have to allow your use of your car to be monitored. Monitoring your mileage is not free, and you pay those costs, not the insurance company. Especially if you have a GPS device installed, the costs of monitoring can be greater than the savings in your premiums. Moreover, if you change companies, you will have to change monitoring devices, too. That means you should think twice before you change companies just to get what appears to be a lower rate.

Secondly, the companies that make the odometer tracking devices also charge a periodic fee for transmitting data. So, not only do you pay for the device, you pay to use it. This, again, possibly can eat away any savings from driving less when you use Pay As You Go.

Third, the insurance companies have had an opportunity to develop a completely new price structure when they offered Pay As You Go. This has allowed them to pass off new costs to drivers, again, canceling out the benefits of your careful and frugal driving.

There are also concerns about how odometer data may be used. While it may be true that the monitoring devices will only provide the data needed to compute premiums, there is always the possibility that the monitors could be modified to tell the company not just how far you drive, but where, when, and how often. This information about where you could go could then be used to raise your rates, or for some other purpose entirely.

Those who favor Pay As You Drive insurance claim that less driving will result in fewer vehicle accidents. However, the relationship between vehicle miles traveled and accidents isn?t entirely proportional. Also, low mileage drivers are not necessarily safer, better drivers. A driver on a Pay As You Drive insurance program can just as easily have an accident as a driver who is on a more traditional insurance program.

At first glance, the promises of lower premiums for Pay As You Drive seem very attractive. If you are considering a Pay As You Drive policy, however, be sure to ask detailed questions of your authorized insurance agent to make sure Pay As You Drive is really right for you.

Tom Martens is the content syndication coordinator for Carinsurancesa.co.za. South Arica?s leading car insurance portal.