AAA: Safe Drivers Can Save Up To 25% On Auto Insurance

NEWS RELEASE CONTACT: For your local media contact visit www.AAA.com/Media Angie LaPlant, director, Media Relations, AAA Auto Club South, (813) 289-5982 office, (813) 728-7188 cell, ALaPlant@AAASouth.com

AAA and Progressive Help Motorists Save Money While Making the Roadways Safer

Safe and low-mileage drivers can save up to 25 percent on auto insurance

TAMPA, Fla. (May 11, 2011) – Year after year, AAA encourages motorists to work together to improve America’s traffic safety through safe driving habits with minimized distractions. Now, AAA is able to reward safe drivers and offer them a discounted auto policy that can save them up to 25 percent on their auto insurance policy.

AAA now offers Snapshot^SM, the revolutionary Pay As You Drive® program from Progressive® Insurance that can help safe drivers save money on their auto insurance.  Snapshot gives motorists the choice to pay for auto insurance based in part on their individual driving habits. People who drive less, in safer ways and during safer times of the day are most likely to get a discount.

Drivers who volunteer for the program receive a small device that they plug into the onboard diagnostic port (OBD-II) found under the steering column. Cars built after 1996 have this port. The device’s sleek design houses the latest advances in telematics and mobile technology, enabling the customer to automatically and wirelessly share their driving patterns with Progressive.

“As a traffic safety advocate, AAA is proud to partner with an insurance company like Progressive that looks to reward safe drivers,” said Ed Fandel, sr. vice president, Insurance Agency and Branch Operations, AAA Auto Club South. “Motorists who are willing to share their safe driving habits will be rewarded and have the ability to save hundreds.”

New customers can earn a 10 percent discount on their first policy term for joining the program. New and existing customers can save up to 25 percent based on their driving habits. Drivers keep the device plugged in for as long as they stay enrolled in the program.  There is also a $30 technology expense each policy period to cover the cost of data transmission.

The Snapshot discount is not based on location or speed. The device does not have GPS technology, so Progressive does not know where the car is and does not take into account how fast the car is being driven.

“Snapshot gives motorists the option to enroll one or all vehicles owned in the program. The best part is that the program is risk free and a driver’s auto insurance premium can only go down,” said Fandel.

AAA Auto Club South is the fourth largest affiliate of AAA, with 79 branch offices serving more than 4.1 million members in Florida, Georgia, Middle/West Tennessee, and Puerto Rico. Since its founding in 1938, AAA Auto Club South has worked to protect and advance freedom of mobility and improve travel safety.  AAA’s Insurance Agency was named 25^th on the Insurance Journal’s 2010 Top 100 Property Casualty Independent Agency list and provides insurance protection to members and non-members throughout AAA Auto Club South’s region.