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A few years ago, Time Magazine ran an article titled “10 Things Your Commute Does to Your Body.” Spoiler alert: none of them were good. In fact, they were downright disturbing. The thorough roundup of research indicated a long list of frightening risks: high cholesterol, increased blood sugar, depression, anxiety, and more. You probably knew your time behind the wheel wasn’t doing you any big health favors but did you expect it to affect your physical and mental wellness significantly?

The root of many of these issues is, perhaps unsurprisingly, stress. From traffic jams and rude drivers to street closures and unexpected car trouble, driving can suck the life out of you. Luckily, there are some simple ways to keep your cool:

1. Remember to breathe…literally. The first thing that many of us do when faced with stress is to hold our breath. Shocking news: this complete oxygen deprivation won’t help you cope or calm down. The good news is, you have the power to control your breath no matter where you are — even if where you are is stuck in rush hour. An easy go-to technique is to breathe deeply and fully through your nose, pause, and exhale slowly.
2. Listen to soothing music or an entertaining podcast. The research on whether music and podcasts are driving distractions is mixed, so you have to figure out for yourself whether these auditory additions will greatly improve or further mess with your experience. (Might we suggest music or a light podcast and avoiding oft frustrating subjects like sports or politics?)
3. Improve your posture. It may sound small and silly, but modifying your position in the driver’s seat can go a long way toward improving your overall outlook. Notice if you’re gripping the steering wheel and gently loosen your grip; lean back and avoid hunching and slumping your shoulders; unclench your jaw. And if you really want to treat yourself, consider an ergonomic cushion or seat back to feel great every time you get behind the wheel.
4. Create a stress-free schedule. Running late has a way of magnifying the small stresses of driving. Try getting out the door 15 minutes earlier and see how it affects your mood — easier said than done, of course!
5. Consider an alternative. De-stressing behind the wheel can help, but we’d be remiss not to mention driving less in the first place…it’s our thing. Perhaps you’d appreciate public transit? A morning bike ride? A carpool buddy? It’s tough to oversell the benefits of ditching a car commute altogether.

There’s a bonus if you take that last bit of advice: more money in your wallet from saving on gas, maintenance, and insurance. We can help with the savings; we leave the relaxing habits to you.

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Michelle Konstantinovsky is a San Francisco-based freelance journalist, UC Berkeley alumna, and Metromile customer. 

It’s no secret that mobility is on the cusp of a revolution. Increasingly, autonomous vehicles are transforming the role of the driver, just as ride- and car-sharing platforms are changing car ownership.

What’s less obvious is that these same technologies are also upending automobile insurance. If a car is driving itself half the time, or all of the time, should the driver be held liable for an accident that is caused when the vehicle is in autonomous mode? If a person travels mostly by ride-sharing, and uses her own car very little, shouldn’t she pay a lower premium?

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. An even bigger revolution is being driven by information technology — real-time driving data, or telematics, that makes it possible to know both how much and how safely each individual person (or car!) is driving. 

That promises to profoundly change the century-old approach for how insurers rate drivers for safety and how much they charge.  

Put simply, instead of lumping drivers into different risk-groups based on proxies for risk like age, education, and even gender, telematics makes it possible to rate drivers based primarily on their actual, individual driving practices. 

Done correctly, this will greatly increase fairness for consumers. Imagine this: one of the most expensive times to have auto insurance is when you have a teenage driver on your policy. Taken as a group, teens get into accidents at a much greater rate than adults. Today, your teen is assumed to drive like the average teen and, as a result, you pay for it. In the future, your teen driver’s insurance rate will be based on how she actually drives; not only is this a fairer way to price insurance but it also creates stronger accountability for people of all ages to drive more safely. 

Equally important, the new technology will enable insurers to recognize the kaleidoscope of new approaches to mobility. People who rely heavily on ride-sharing platforms, and only seldom drive their own cars, can now pay less because they drive fewer miles. 

We already have the fundamental technology. Metromile, which insures drivers based on the number of miles they drive and the quality of those miles, gives customers a device that plugs into the car’s diagnostic port and transmits a real-time stream of data about what’s happening. How many miles does each customer drive? Is any rapid acceleration or hard braking taking place? Is it a riskier time of day? Other technologies make it possible to spot signs of distracted driving or falling asleep at the wheel.

In fact, I can imagine a day when we don’t price at all on the basis of which risk-groups a person is in. If we have access to individual data and understand what it means, an extremely careful twenty-something millennial could end up paying less for car insurance than a 45-year-old Gen X’er  who appears shaky behind the wheel.

Telematics can also transform the way we, as insurers, interact with our customers. If we see signs of less-than-ideal driving practices, such as a lot of sudden accelerations and hard stops, we can gently advise them on ways to improve safety and get better mileage as well. If drivers know they may be rewarded for following better practices, and they are receiving concrete tips, they are likely to become safer drivers.  

Until recently, the biggest hurdle to this kind of personalized insurance has been knowing how to process all the incoming data. We’re talking about staggering amounts of data sent from millions of cars every minute of the day. Simply storing all that was a gargantuan task, and analyzing it was many times harder.

That has now changed. The plunging cost of computer processing power, and the explosive advances in artificial intelligence and “deep learning” computers, enable us to make sense out of what would have seemed like chaos just a few years ago.

To be sure, we have a ways to go.

For all the computing and algorithmic power at our fingertips, this is an entirely new approach to modeling driver safety. New approaches require new principles for risk analysis. The leaders in this new field will be companies that can both collect all that data and then actually learn the digital traits of safe drivers. Even after accomplishing all that, insurers will need to translate those risk-profiles into practical underwriting principles. 

It’s also important to acknowledge that insurance is a regulated industry, and most state regulators are still grounded in traditional group-based insurance models. We are already working with several states to test-drive new kinds of policies, but this is a learning process for them as well as for consumers.

Metromile is in a strong position here. Because we started from the ground up with a model based on individual driving rather than group patterns, we enjoy a big headstart in understanding almost every conceivable kind of driver in almost every conceivable situation. We have data on more than 2 billion miles of driving so far…and we’re still in the early stages.  

As a 20-year insurance industry vet, this is by far the most exciting time for innovation and improvement that I have ever experienced. 

We’re putting drivers back in the driver’s seat.

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Jeff Briglia is Metromile’s former Chief Insurance Officer.

You’ve probably heard it a million times: if you have the misfortune of getting into a car accident, you’ve got to swap info with the other driver immediately. This usually means exchanging details like license plate numbers, contact details, and of course, your insurance information. 

But what if, for whatever reason, you’re involved in an accident, and you don’t get the other driver’s details?

There can be a lot of chaos that ensues post-accident. Whether you’re too stressed to remember all the items on your checklist or you experience the unfortunate event of a hit-and-run, there are still steps you can take to make sure you’re taken care of. 

It starts before the accident by making sure your auto insurance policy includes uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. That way, if you don’t get the other driver’s information, you won’t be left wondering whether you’re covered. 

Instead, you can focus on responding to the accident. 

Here’s what you should do next:

1. Make sure you’re okay. 

It happens: When the shock of an accident sets in, you may lose sight of what’s happening in the present moment. Take a moment to check yourself and any passengers for injuries, and, if you’re able, move your car to a safe spot. 

2. Call the police. 

We get it — it can feel silly to involve the police in something as seemingly minor as a fender bender. But a police report can be an essential part of filing an insurance claim, so if everyone’s in okay shape, call the police non-emergency line (use 911 if there are injuries or severe damage). 

It’s best to get a report number for the police if you can.

3. Write down what you remember about the accident. 

Pull out a pen and paper, open the notes app on your phone — do whatever you have to do to start jotting down memories. 

Any details about the accident scene and the vehicle or individual involved is fair game, so things like the license plate number, the color, make, or model of the other car or anything about the driver can be useful. 

Do what you can to focus and get it all down so that you’re not staring at a blank page later. 

4. Take photos. 

One of the biggest perks of regularly carrying around a smartphone is the ability to snap high-quality pictures at a moment’s notice. 

Take pictures of everything you can — the outside of your car, any damage it sustained, the surrounding area of the accident, etc. 

In the case of a hit-and-run accident, even the tiniest details could help police find the other driver.

5. Look around for witnesses. 

Not only do you have a phone in your pocket — chances are, just about everyone else in the vicinity does too, and it’s very possible someone else recorded evidence of your accident. But even if no one nearby captured a photo or video of the incident, bystanders may be able to tell you about details you somehow missed, like which way the driver went after the accident or identifying characteristics about their car. 

Jot down your witnesses’ info just if your insurance carrier or the police need to get in touch with them later. 

6. Contact your insurance company. 

Whether the other driver took off after the accident or even flat out refused to hand over their info, you should still notify your insurance company about the accident. Not only does your insurance carrier likely require you to get in touch within a reasonable time, but they can also make things easier by taking some of the work out of your hands.

Now you might ask: Will your auto insurance policy cover you if you’re involved in a car accident with an uninsured or underinsured motorist?

And the answer depends, but if the other driver is responsible for the accident, their insurance will generally pay for the damage to your car and any medical bills. 

But what if you don’t get the other driver’s insurance information?

This is why it’s important to make sure you have enough coverage for yourself — just in case they don’t. 

The bottom line

Consider checking your auto insurance policy today to see if you’re covered against uninsured and underinsured motorists.

At Metromile, we offer coverage for accidents with uninsured and underinsured motorists, but we also make filing claims more manageable with our claims assistant AVA, which can help verify where and when an accident happened and how hard the impact was. This can go a long way toward speeding up the claims process. In some cases, AVA can help pay out claims within minutes and help you schedule any necessary car repairs.

If you’re interested in learning more about Metromile and pay-per-mile auto insurance, take a Ride Along™, so you can see what Metromile is all about for free.

To get started, download the Metromile app, and get your free auto insurance quote. 

Next, Metromile will consider your driving for about two weeks (you’ll still need to keep your current insurance provider during the trial period with Metromile), including how many miles you drive, to show you the price you might pay for auto insurance. We believe this will give you more confidence you’ll save money before you switch.

 
If you’re trying to spend less on driving, the thought of buying a vehicle can be a little overwhelming; buying a car can be a huge expense. According to a recent Kelley Blue Book report, the average price of a new car increased to $37,577 from 2017 to 2018. Yikes! And while used cars can certainly cost a pretty penny too, they at least offer a much more affordable alternative…if you know what to look for. 
There’s one major to-do that far too many drivers fail to check off their list before forking over the cash for a used car, and it’s surprisingly simple: run a vehicle history report.

What is a vehicle history report?

Every used car — no matter if it’s in pristine condition — has a past. By reviewing the vehicle history report, you get direct insight into that past. Carfax.com and AutoCheck.com are the two most popular sources for reports, but there are other sources out there as well. They all dig up important information about your potential new car using its vehicle identification number (VIN). While the report can’t tell you exactly what’s happening under the hood of a car, it can offer a wealth of knowledge that reduces the risk around determining the car’s current state. 
Here’s what you’ll typically find in a vehicle history report:

• Accidents. You can’t expect every minor fender bender to go on a vehicle’s permanent record, but any major accidents have usually been reported to an insurance company. Those accidents will wind up here. 
• Number of owners/type of uses: Knowing how many people have owned the car and how they might have used it can make a big difference in your decision to buy. Was the car mostly kept in the garage by one occasional driver, or was it put to work as a rideshare vehicle? Knowing the facts — and whether it may have been passed down along a long chain of family or friends — may influence your buying mindset. 
• Maintenance records: Service visits aren’t always listed on the report, but if the previous owner took the car in to the dealership, you’ll find out about it. 
• Odometer tampering: One major advantage of the report is its insight into odometer rollbacks. Less-than-reputable lots might tamper with the car’s distance measurement to sell older cars at higher prices. If this ever happened to a vehicle, it will go on its history report.  
• Salvage title: Even if a vehicle endures a “total loss” (meaning the insurance company declared the cost of repairs would exceed the cash value of the car), it could still very well be drivable. But you’d probably want to know about it, right? Luckily, insurance companies issue something called a “salvage title” that notifies future buyers of the incident. This goes on a vehicle history report, too. 

Bottom Line

Ordering a vehicle history report typically costs between $25 and $40 — sometimes less if you’re checking multiple reports at once — or you may be able to snag a report on the dealer’s or lender’s dime. It’s a good idea to stay informed; you’ll be less likely to be blind-sided by any serious issues, and can save money on maintenance down the road.
And of course, a safer car can mean lower insurance rates (whether you buy that insurance by the mile or through a traditional insurer). The one-two punch of a vehicle history report and great car insurance can help you stay safe before and after you’re in the driver’s seat.
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Michelle Konstantinovsky is a San Francisco-based freelance journalist, UC Berkeley alumna, and Metromile customer. 

 
It’s not you, it’s me. Or is it? Breaking up can be hard, no matter how long you’ve been in the relationship. Recently, we researched how people manage interpersonal relationships and how that compares to their relationship with auto insurance. Our survey of 2,008 adults in the U.S. aged 18 years and older included some surprises.

One in five Americans (a whopping 21%!) think it’s more challenging to find a new auto insurance provider than break up with their significant other!
About half (47%) of Americans have stayed in a relationship with their auto insurance provider for as many as five years, but only 26% have stayed in a relationship with their significant other for the same amount of time. Let that sink in for a moment — many of us are more committed to our insurance provider than we are with our romantic partners!
Evaluating your relationship with your car insurance provider is important. If you can’t remember the last time you thought about your insurance, it might be time to re-evaluate (and possibly break up with) your insurance provider.
Nearly a third of Americans (29%) are not aware of the baggage that comes with marrying someone with a less-than-favorable driving record. 
Additionally, we discovered that roughly a third of women (31%) of all ages are unaware of the impact of their spouse’s driving records on their auto insurance rates. When two become one, the same goes for their car insurance policies. 
Did you know that your spouse’s driving record will affect the premium that you might pay? A poor driving record could increase your car insurance premium. It is critical to discuss driving records with your spouse to prevent any unpleasant surprises after you tie the knot.
Nearly 60 percent of American women of all ages have stayed with their insurance provider for more than five years. Only 53% of American men have done the same.
We were surprised: It seems women are more likely to stay the course with their car insurance provider and to remain committed, even when the waters might get rough. Whatever the case may be, every person should feel empowered to evaluate their relationship with their car insurance provider regularly. If your car insurance is no longer meeting your needs, it may be time for a fresh start with someone new.
61% of women between the ages of 45 – 54 rated discounts for being a low mileage driver as an important quality in a new car insurance provider – compared to just half of men.
We found that women are more likely to prioritize savings and customer service when it comes to auto insurance. Saving money and being a low-mileage driver isn’t gender-specific. By switching to Metromile, everyone (regardless of gender) can benefit from our low-mileage driver discounts and incredible customer service!
Bottom Line
Male or female, it makes no difference – everyone deserves access to the best care and car insurance. Whether you’ve been in a relationship with your current car insurance provider for five months or five years, take a moment to re-evaluate if they are meeting all of your needs. Breaking up with your car insurance provider isn’t hard to do, and grabbing a free quote only takes a few minutes. It’s time for a new beginning – cheers to trying something new!
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Julianne Sawyer is a freelance writer, app producer, and real-life Metromile customer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Dan Preston is the CEO of Metromile.
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When Elon Musk announced that he was getting into car insurance, I wasn’t surprised — this is an industry full of opportunities for fresh thinking. I also wasn’t surprised he ran into some glitches on launch day.

I understand why Musk is frustrated: Tesla cars are packed with pioneering safety technology, but they are comparatively expensive to insure. We know firsthand; Metromile insures many Tesla owners (up 200% in the past year alone). Our data shows they are no more accident-prone than drivers of other cars, while their claims run about twice as much as other cars due to the high cost of repairing the on-board technology. 

From the expansion of autonomous navigation to the explosion of ride- and car-sharing platforms, technology is transforming both cars and car ownership. Insurance is ripe for disruption, too, which is why Metromile was founded eight years ago with a pay-per-mile model based on someone’s actual driving.

But drivers also value the service itself — beyond savings — whether that means a feature that monitors the car’s condition or an intuitive, design-first claims system. Consumers may be attracted to low prices, but how long they remain a customer depends on their experience.

The long-term opportunity lies in reducing the conflict and distrust between insurance companies and their customers. Right now, the relationship can be very transactional and full of tension. Insurers worry about risky drivers and fraudulent claims, while customers worry about being short-changed by obscure policy loopholes. It’s an adversarial process, and it can be grueling.

Technology offers massive opportunities for personalized insurance that can lower rates. We save many of our customers hundreds of dollars a year. Likewise, we recently partnered with Turo, a leading car-sharing company, to create fractional insurance to help reduce the costs of car ownership. 
And we’re on the cusp of even larger changes. Sooner or later, self-driving cars will become mainstream. As a result, cars will be safer and experience fewer accidents. While some accidents like a falling tree will happen no matter how advanced a car may be, we understand fundamentally that no two miles driven are the same; a mile driven autonomously could and should be insured differently than one driven by a human.

In the meantime, technology can reduce the tension between insurers and their customers. One way is by enabling personalized insurance customized to individual needs. Another is to make the claims process smoother and easier. Through AVA, our AI-powered claims system, we see the power of using a car’s telematics data to reconstruct an accident and assess the damage quickly — enabling us to pay some claims within minutes.   

That said, irresponsible technology can create traps. Just imagine how fast a fully-automated AI system could alienate customers by spitting out instant decisions they don’t like, or not being able to be guided by an experienced, empathetic claims-professional after a stressful accident. These are very nuanced issues; they require employees with exceptional insurance experience who can bring out the best of the technology while avoiding the roadside ditches.  

Without a doubt, I love Musk’s challenge to the status quo. But as Tesla pauses for an “algorithm update,” I hope they take my advice: insurance is about more than low prices. We need fresh thinking from carmakers and insurers alike.

When I made the brave and lengthy journey to college many years ago (just kidding, my school was 70 miles from home), I spent the first two semesters carless. Freshmen didn’t have the privilege of parking spots, and if we’re honest, my freeway driving skills were still developing.

Weekend trips to visit mom and dad required either the generosity of mobile friends or six spare hours to spend on the painfully slow train. But navigating the tiny college town without wheels was easy, and before long I didn’t miss Kermit (the family name for my hand-me-down green Ford Taurus — may he rest in peace) at all.

When I came back as a sophomore, however, Kermit came too, and having my car at school suddenly opened up new opportunities — driving to the closest big city mall, skipping the dysfunctional bus service and sleeping in, blasting Ashlee Simpson albums on the way to my boyfriend’s house (it was 2006, okay?). But was all that driving necessary? Of course not. So from my dated dilemma arises a modern question: do kids really need their cars at college?

The Pros
There are some compelling reasons to bring a car to campus:

• The convenience factor. If you live off-campus, a car could help you get to lectures on time or make it possible to snag a job that pays more than any on-campus gig.
• Grocery shopping is a lot less of a workout. Once you’re out of the dorms, it’s pretty much up to you to bring home the bacon (and eggs, and bread, and heavy arm-crushing produce). Having a car certainly makes it easier to transport a shopping haul.
• You’ll have a place to call your own. College life can be cramped. Having your own car means you’ll have a sacred space to escape to (and escape in) any time you need a break from your roommates, classmates, study buddies, etc.

The Cons
Yes, having a car at college means a bit more freedom and autonomy, but it also means:

• Paying for insurance, parking, maintenance, repairs, and more. There’s no way to avoid it: driving is expensive.
• Spending precious time searching for a spot. Driving may shave minutes off your commute, but that time saved can quickly be replaced circling the block.
• Being less invested in your campus life. Having an easy escape means you’re probably not spending a ton of time getting to know the people around you or exploring new opportunities and adventures. And isn’t that kind of the whole point of college (besides that coveted degree, of course)?
• A higher risk of accidents. If you’re behind the wheel at all, you’re already at risk for an accident. But if you’re tired from studying, partying, working, and just generally depriving yourself of proper shut-eye, you’re putting yourself at an even higher risk.

On Balance
Having a car at college can definitely have some perks, but overall, the cost — financial and otherwise — is far higher than the potential benefit. And leaving the car at home means more time and energy to invest in immersing yourself in the college experience.

It won’t come as a surprise that we’re encouraging people to drive less; we think a world with fewer cars, less crowded streets, and cleaner air is something to shoot for. Do you agree? If so, we’ll be here with insurance to make things easier.

Michelle Konstantinovsky is a San Francisco-based freelance journalist, UC Berkeley alumna, and Metromile customer.

Carrying car insurance is a no-brainer. Besides keeping you within the bounds of the law, the major nuts and bolts of an insurance policy — your coverage limits, deductibles, and so on — are there to help you avoid financial ruin in the case of an accident.

But what about those options like rental coverage or a $0 deductible for glass repair, that are nice-to-haves but not necessarily standing between you and bankruptcy? Are you cheating yourself by not adding these bonuses to your plan? To help you avoid decision paralysis, here’s what you need to know about three common car insurance add-ons.

$0 glass deductible
A practically inevitable part of driving is an eventual glass issue, and even the most high-end vehicles are at risk for chips and cracks in the windows and windshield. The good news is these minor problems can be fixed quickly and easily. The not-so-good news is they typically aren’t cheap. 
If you’re particularly concerned about the state of your glass or if you’re in the habit of driving your car through construction zones or other environments that increase your likelihood of chips and cracks, you may want to consider opting for glass and windshield coverage. With a zero-dollar glass deductible, your insurer will be the one footing the bill for repairs, so if you do experience a broken, chipped, or cracked windshield or window, you won’t be on the hook for costs.

Rental coverage
When an accident occurs, you’re likely consumed with gathering details, submitting a claim, and making sure you handle any necessary medical issues. But there’s another major detail many people forget to consider in the aftermath of an accident: how to get around if your car needs to go into the shop for repairs, or worse — it was totaled.

If you rely on a car for work, errands, or any other daily responsibility, you’ll probably need to replace your damaged vehicle with something as soon as possible. The easiest option would be to rent a car, but — surprise, surprise — rental cars can be pretty pricey. By adding rental car reimbursement to your car insurance plan, you protect yourself and your wallet with the assurance that your insurer will cover the cost of your rental while your car is out of commission. If the thought of being without wheels is too much for you to bear, you might want to consider this extra a must-have.

Roadside assistance
Is there anything worse than the thought of being stranded by the side of the road? There are dozens of reasons this could happen — especially if you have a…let’s say “less than reliable” vehicle. Car stuff just happens. Enter roadside assistance.

By adding roadside assistance to your insurance plan, you’re covered if you need any of these:

• Flat tire fixes
• Locksmith services
• Emergency gasoline delivery
• Towing (up to the distance outlined in your contract)

(Brag alert: Metromile’s roadside assistance works completely through our app — no digging cards out of your glovebox or looking up missing phone numbers.)

Like the other extras, roadside assistance can provide peace of mind. And if that peace of mind feels worthwhile, roadside assistance coverage might be for you. The good news is that none of these extras will break the bank — they often cost only a few bucks a month.

So the question is: how much value do you place on peace of mind?
Need more info on these or any other Metromile features or extras? Visit metromile.com today to get a free quote; we’ll find the plan for you, with or without the extras.