It has been one year since
Desjardins General Insurance Group launched its Ajusto program, and more than two-thirds of drivers have told the insurer exactly what they think of driving with a telematics device in their car.
Of the Ontario and Quebec drivers who have signed up for the Ajusto usage-based insurance savings program, more than two-thirds of respondents to a DGIG survey said it has made them improve the way they drive and has consequently saved them money.
“We are very pleased with the survey results,” said Denis Cote, DGIG’s vice-president of marketing services. “We were confident that our program would promote safer driving, which is good for our customers and society as a whole. We now have the evidence that shows this is in fact happening.”
In addition, 50 per cent agreed that they’ve become safer drivers since they installed the Ajusto telematics device in their vehicle and began monitoring their own driving habits online.
Almost 30 per cent also said that they were now more conscious of how much they drive, and have tried to drive less when possible.
DGIG launched its Ajusto and Intelauto (for group insurance customers) UBI programs in May of last year and has enrolled 50,000 mostly new Ontario and Quebec customers in the programs.
These clients are earning on average a 12 per cent discount in their insurance premiums. Under the free and voluntary programs, clients can earn a total premium discount of up to 25 per cent based on distance travelled annually, extent and frequency of hard breaking and aggressive acceleration, and the time of day the vehicle is driven. (continued.)
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One Toronto driver, Mike Mooy, signed up with DGIG’s program for about a year and is currently earning a nine per cent discount – a number he hopes to drive even higher.
“I’ve improved my braking, despite the fact that all of my driving is in the city, but acceleration is still an issue for me,” said Mooy. “I’d love to say it is because I drive a sporty car in the city, but this is something I can change if I really try. Old habits are hard to break, but the fact that I am trying is a direct result of the telematics device.”
DGIG was the first insurer to widely offer UBI programs in Ontario and Quebec. DGIG regularly surveys its Ajusto and Intelauto clients to determine their satisfaction with the programs and to identify potential improvements.
According to DGIG, this most recent survey of 257 Ajusto and Intelauto clients is consistent with previous surveys and has a margin of error of plus or minus five per cent.
