State Farm Drive Safe & Save Bluetooth Beacon And App Review

State Farm Insurance Company has their Drive Safe & Save app that is designed for older cars that do not record driver’s habits. When inquiring about a recent rate increase, my agent suggested drive safe & save beacon and iPhone app to receive a monthly discount. First, let me start out by saying. I’ve been driving for over 50 years without an accident. My last traffic citation was in 1983 with a Kawasaki GPZ-1100 Motorcycle that was sold a year later, and I haven’t had a ticket since! 😎

Update 01/28/23: It’s those unknown areas that’ll get us every time. This week I took a ride to St. Petersburg. Wanting to skip the traffic in Pasco County I took the turnpike. The speed limit was 70mph when I first got on. Later on, coming into Tampa the speed limit dropped to 60mph. Getting close to my I-275 exit there was some construction where the speed limit was 45mph. To make a long story somewhat shorter, I got 3 speeding events in that area. The traffic was heavy and no one was going 45mph. I had a tractor-trailer riding 3-4 feet from my rear bumper. Naturally, I sped up to move to the right lane, and ding ding ding. Also got an acceleration event later in the trip. When you see a speed limit sign best be at that speed because they have all the limits in their database of most roads in America! 😥

Update 01/17/23: For close to three months I’ve kept nearly a 100% driving score. Got a couple of breaking events in an unfamiliar area where traffic signals seem timed to bag drivers with red light cameras. And I got a phone distraction event for using my phone while stopped at a Walmart pickup space. I was parked with the car’s air conditioning on and picked my phone up to check in with the Walmart app. I’m very pleased with the State Farm Beacon, the lowest-cost auto insurance I’ve ever had!

Update 10/23/22: Damn I’m Good! 😎 so happy to have achieved a 100% driving score all month long. Yesterday after driving through hell and back (Pasco County FL) I got lucky and didn’t get bagged once. Anyone who drives through Port Richey and New Port Richey in bumper-to-bumper traffic knows what I mean by saying it’s like driving through hell! It’s been an experience studying the events and learning how to avoid them. For SEO reasons I’m not mentioning any company names but considering those commercials we regularly see on TV are really expensive to air. Who do you think pays for all that advertising? You do if you have their car insurance! Give your local state farm agent a call for a quote.

Update 10/08/22: I’m proud to report my driving score has been 100% all month long. And the most important news is, I received a major rate decrease. I was actually shocked when I opened the envelope and saw what my NEW monthly payment was. State Farm’s drive safe and save app and beacon have taught me to be a better driver, though I’ve not received a ticket since 1984 after my motorcycle was sold.

So here’s the deal. I’m sure everyone wants to save money, especially these days. If you’ve had no tickets or accidents in the past three years, call your local State Farm agent for a quote. Driving with a beacon will help you build better driving skills. The biggest issue I had was with breaking events. The first thing is not to tap your brake pedal hard. That sudden application of the brakes will set an event in a NY minute. The best bet is to study your regular driving routes. Take note when the lights change and adjust your speed to slowly approach the intersection and slowly apply your brakes to stop slowly. Your saving money by using less gasoline. This beacon is intended as an educational tool. Prove to State Farm you are an exceptional driver and reap the rewards of low automobile insurance rates! 😉

Update 09/01/22: Yesterday I made a routine trip to our local Walmart and back. DriveSafe did not log either trip, BUT my driving score went down from 99% to 98%. Not sure what happened but obviously the driving score drop indicates an event was logged. I’m thinking where the beacon is located makes a difference with braking events. Mine is mounted in the center console storage area.

Update 08/22/22: I’ve been fortunate to maintain a 100% score for better than a week. Today I had a doctor’s appointment in an unfamiliar to my area. I use a Bluetooth earpiece so my iPhone’s GPS tells me where to turn etc. After arriving at my destination looked at my State Farm app which said my driving score went down to 99%. Sure enough, they bagged me for a phone distraction. The phone was sitting in my center console cup holder. If they want to play this game I could turn off my app’s location! 😎

Also on my last update I bragged about the Gasbuddy app and pay with GB debit card and the big savings that it offered. The 1st time I used the pay with Gasbuddy card I saved 17 cents per gallon. Today my gas was getting low so I fired the GB app up and discovered only a save 1 cent on several nearby stations. Driving to the GB station to save a penny was not worth the extra driving distance.

Update 08/17/22: I’m beginning to understand why breaking events are so easily established. It appears to me how quickly I tap my brake pedal. It’s best to decelerate slowly if it’s safe when stopping for a red light. So slightly apply the brake initially and use more pressure to come to a final stop. Of course, this will not work if a traffic signal goes from yellow to red suddenly, especially if there’s a traffic cop looking to earn his quota ahead. I did get bagged for a phone distraction today using my phone’s GPS to find a doctor’s office in a new to me area. Guess it must be taboo to look at the screen while driving!

Update 08/02/22: I’ve been doing good keeping my driving score close to 100%. Got bagged a couple of weeks ago for speeding. Drive safe and save said I was going 42 in a 30 mph zone. Except the posted speed limit was 40, not 30. There is a number on the trip map where the event occurred to report wrong speed limits. That’s a nice feature! Yesterday I was driving 25mph in a 30mph zone. All of a sudden a squirrel shot across the road ahead. Normally my first instinct would be to jam on the brakes. Knowing State Farm was tracking my driving and hitting the brakes would have bagged my score I took my foot off the accelerator pedal. I didn’t see the squirrel in my rearview mirror so I reckon the little fella made it safely wherever it was going. I highly recommend State Farm auto insurance. If you have the Geko or Flo and have a clean driving record, give your local State Farm agent a call for a quote. With high gas prices, I use the GasBuddy app and debit card to pay and save up to 25 cents per gallon!

Update 06/10/22: It’s becoming clear that keeping a 100% score is impossible no matter how safely I drive. I’m getting bagged for nonsense hard breaking events, even in areas that I never stopped. I think the app is programmed to bag a driver every so often when they have a 100% safe driving score. After pulling into a friend’s driveway and getting nailed with another hard braking event!

Update 02/18/22: This beacon must have a form of a pendulum or similar that measures braking, turning, or motion. Within the past two weeks, they must have updated the app to increase motion sensitivity. I’m getting bagged lent and right for breaking events. Red light stopping in what I would consider normal braking is creating breaking events in the state farm drive safe iPhone app. One really ridiculous braking event was when I stopped for a turtle crossing the road. I’m in a residential area on a two-lane street where the speed limit was 30mph. I’m driving less than 25mph coming up a slight hill. Rounding the top of the hill I could see a turtle crossing the road and took my foot off the gas pedal slowing down. At about 10mph I decided to stop until the turtle was off the road. When I got home and looked at the app trips I see a braking event where I stopped for the turtle. Ridiculous! 😡

Update 11/07/21: When speaking to my State Farm agent about the initial app findings, I was told this drive safe app and beacon will not increase premiums. He said it is intended as a tool to provide driver awareness. I must admit since I’ve been using this app, I’m not boosting the turbo up as much as before, driving somewhat slower, and taking curves slower, ‘It handles much like a sports car’ and even better, my gas mileage is increasing. I like and recommend this app! 😜

State Farm drive safe and save Bluetooth beacon and matching smartphone app is without a doubt like having big-brother riding in the back seat. Its plus points are it calculates your driving route and mileage traveled. The driving distance between points A and B is what State Farm calls trips. Each trip is easily accessible by tapping the trips link on the bottom of the app. From each trip, you will see your driving score. There are five driving score categories. “Acceleration, Braking, Cornering, Speeding, and Phone Distraction.” No matter how safely we believe we drive, this app nit-picks our driving, and may wind up being a double-eged sword, that could give us a rate increase!

I’ve been using this drive safe and save app for about two weeks. My main negative pet peeve with this app and accompanying Bluetooth beacon is with its braking scores. When I’m out driving and come upon a traffic signal that turns yellow ahead. First I judge the distance from the intersection my vehicle is. Second, if I feel I can stop safely I look in the rearview mirror to see what traffic is behind me. If I feel that I can stop safely I stop. Being a formerly used car dealer and ASE Certified technician, my car is 35 years old and is in excellent mechanical condition. Believe me when I say it will stop on a dime, and give back nine cents change. State Farm’s iPhone app dinged me for breaking too hard. Recently a driver towing a big boat turned left in front of me, naturally, I hit my brakes, not excessively hard, but enough to void getting into an accident. State Farm’s app dinged my two-week driving score again.

The speed limits on the roads we drive are being used with the GPS in our smartphones to ding us for speeding. Yea State Farm drive safe & save dinged me for speeding once. There is a stretch of US-19 that I regularly drive that the speed limit is 55 mph, but drops to 45 for a short distance, then increases to 55 mph again. The app dinged me for that. Had to go back and look for a sign southbound but there was none. Going northbound it is posted 45 mph zone. And speaking of US-19 in Pinellas and Pasco counties. Just about everyone drives an easy 10-15+ miles per hour faster in that area. But NOT with the location-enabled on the drive safe app! 😎

One last tidbit I’ve observed with State Farm Drive Safe & Save App. It so far dinged my driving score twice for cornering too fast, that was on the entrance ramp to US-19. I was just following the traffic ahead and accelerating to merge onto the highway. And again close to my home at an intersection that has a right-hand yield curve. Not taking the corner any different than any other drivers, but State Farm dinged my score again. Luckily my phone has not rung while I’m driving. Even though my phone is in a cup holder in my center console, I use a Bluetooth earpiece and just have to reach up to push a button on the device. I’ll probably get dinged for that too!

Planning a road trip? Buckle up, drive safe, and rest assured the Florida’s Turnpike State Farm Safety Patrol is on the job. https://t.co/7u3tlkXply #AssistPatrol pic.twitter.com/hQgGePjEV2

— Florida's Turnpike (@FloridaTurnpike) August 25, 2020

I must say, this app and Bluetooth Beacon keep’s drivers thinking about how safely they drive. However, it’s my personal opinion, no matter how safely a person drives, this app, and the beacon will find something to ding a driver’s score and discount amount. The beacon can not see the traffic ahead and all around us, like the jerkoff with the boat that hung a left turn in front of me. I’ve been with State Farm for a long long time, and nobody can beat their low rates, IF their safe divers. I’m getting a $13 monthly discount with this app. Time will tell how this beacon works out for me.

But sorry State Farm Insurance, I’m NOT skating a Yellow Light if I can Stop Safely! 🙂