Finance – Infowire

Taking off in popularity, Pay As You Drive insurance plans for auto owners are, as their name suggests, based on the number of miles you drive your car. The more miles you drive, the higher the premium. The fewer miles you drive, the more you save. In our present economic times, the idea of paying less for this unavoidable expense is quite appealing. However, Pay As You Drive presents a few disadvantages.

First of all, in order to utilize Pay As You Drive insurance, you have to consent to having your vehicle?s mileage monitored. There are costs associated with these monitoring programs. These costs are paid for by the driver, not the insurance provider. These costs could outweigh the potential savings gained from Pay As You Drive Insurance. In addition, drivers would have to install a new monitoring device every time they change insurance providers. That makes Pay As You Drive insurance inconvenient, and it makes shopping for a better deal difficult and frustrating for drivers.

Second, the companies that make the odometer tracking devices often charge a monthly fee for transmitting the data. So, not only do drivers have to pay for the odometer tracking device to participate in a Pay As You Drive insurance program, but they will also have to pay additional fees. Again, this could possibly strip away any savings benefits gained from Pay As You Drive insurance.

Thirdly, insurers have had to develop a totally new price structure in order to offer Pay As You Go. This makes it easier for them to pass new costs on to drivers, again, canceling out any benefit derived from your frugal driving.

There are legitimate concerns about how your odometer data may be used. The devices that provide mileage numbers can be modified to tell you the company not just how many miles you drive, but where you drive, when you drive, and how often you go there. This information might be used to justify increasing your premiums, or it might be passed on to third parties for entirely different purposes, none of which is likely to be to your advantage.

Pay As You Drive fans say that driving fewer miles will result in fewer crashes. However, there isn’t a simple correlation between how many miles you drive and how many accidents you have. Low-mileage drivers do not necessarily drive more safely. It is every bit as easy for a driver covered by Pay As You Drive to have an accident as it is for a driver covered by a traditional policy.

On the surface, the cost savings of Pay As You Drive seem quite attractive. Drivers who are considering Pay As You Drive, however, should ask detailed questions before signing up for the plan. Gather as much information as you can to determine whether Pay As You Go is really right for you.

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