Aviva’s “Skills that lower your bills” series helps you understand telematics and ways it can help you save on insurance. “A seven-day journey with a driving discount app” joins companion stories, "The speed bumps to using a driving discount app", and "How a driving discount app can tailor your insurance premium to your driving habits".
A week with Wally and the skills that lower his bills
Meet Walter. Or Wally as he likes to be called. He’s a rather happy guy, “living the dream” as he often says. His marriage fulfills him. His five-year-old daughter “Molly” inspires him. His home comforts him. Yet, Wally has his worries. What will inflation mean for his monthly budget? What will the increase in lending rates mean for his mortgage? What will unpredictable gas prices do to the family vacation plan? So, he looks to cut costs.
You see, Wally thought his car insurance premiums were as low as can be. He’s got a clean driving abstract. He’s never made a claim. He owns a modest car. Like most Canadians, he was unaware of telematics programs. In fact, “only 33% of Canadians say they are aware of these types of [telematics] programs that help them save on their insurance premiums, while only one in 10 use it”.
But then he discovered that he could lower his premiums through Aviva Journey – his good driving skills can help lower his insurance bills.
This is what his week with the app looks like:
Monday - morning java: After the pandemic, Wally now works a hybrid work schedule. Monday is a work from home day. It begins with a morning coffee at his favourite coffee shop. He follows the posted speed limits in his neighbourhood’s school zone, he slowly accelerates after the stop signs, and makes every turn with an ease and comfort. The mellow journey scores some high marks.
Tuesday – stopping short: The highway drive to work was less congested than normal, so traffic flowed at speeds that matched the 100km/hr speed limit. He always maintains a distance with the car in front, but congestion ahead brought traffic to a stop. Even with a safe distance, he needed to brake with a little more authority than he likes. At work, he checked his app’s dashboard, and saw that it had minimal impact on his score, and he was still counted in the good driver category.
Wednesday – pasta pickup: On the way home from work, he got a call from his wife to ask if he can stop for some fresh pasta at the grocery store. Because he used the hands-free call function, there was little to no impact on his score.
Thursday – tripping call: Wally’s weekly pick-up hockey game almost tripped him up when he nearly forgot his phone and his trip wouldn’t have been recorded. After all, the more good driving you track, the more opportunity there is to get a good score. Thankfully he remembered as he lugged his gear into the trunk.
Friday – family yay: It’s the day for sisters, brothers, cousins, and friends as Wally and the family use the night to visit. With baby on board, Wally’s score is perfect.
Saturday – building at the big box: The sale at the hardware store was the perfect time to kick off his planter box project. With pressured treated lumber, cut to size in his back seat, Wally was certainly more careful when accelerating, turning, and stopping. Another perfect score for the weekend warrior.
Sunday – eager eating: It was smooth sailing on his weekly brunch date with his mom. Maybe a little too smooth as he hadn’t quite noticed that the general traffic flow had him travelling at a 110km/hr speed – ten over the posted limited. However, it was just a tiny hiccup after a week of great driving.
A week in the life, but a year of saving
It’s only been a week with Wally, but it’s been a year of saving for him. Just for signing up to Aviva Journey, he got a 10% discount on his premium. And with continued good driving, his discount can increase next year.