“Speed Trap” feature on Google Maps can help lower Car Insurance rates by 15%

A clean driving record usually results in lower insurance rates. 26% of all traffic fatalities in 2017 was due to speeding. 2018 reported about 9,378 speeding-related deaths on US roads. According to I.I.I., the more traffic violations that a driver has, the higher is his/her insurance premium going to be. Zimlon estimates that an average speeding ticket increases car insurance rates by 13 percent, and a 15 percent hike for high-speed offenses. The higher the speed at which the driver is caught speeding, the higher the insurance premium could climb. Speeding is also a moving violation, which means higher demerit points on a driver’s record.

With Google Maps introducing the “Speed Trap” feature for iPhone users as well, the driver can get a real-time heads-up of a speed trap located along the route they are traveling in, as well as reroute options. This could result in drivers avoiding speeding tickets and saving on their insurance premiums as well. Map users can now report 6 types of hazards or slowdowns, including the location of the police using radar to catch speeding motorists. The other slowdowns map users can report include the following:

Waze, also owned by Google’s parent company, has had this feature for years. Even though these features would result in lower car insurance rates for drivers, it could, however, have a negative impact on the insurance firms. Accidents are detrimental to insurance firms, and speeding is one of the major causes of fatal crashes in the U.S., as shown below.

Insurance firms use a person’s driving record to analyze how safe they are behind the wheel. With this new feature it would become tougher for insurance firms to understand if a driver has a habit of speeding. This could also result in drivers speeding with the surety that there are no speed traps ahead, resulting in more accidents, which in turn results in losses for insurance firms. Earlier, Google Maps had also introduced an incognito mode, enabling drivers to travel to any location without leaving a paper trail.

Users can now activate the speed trap feature by going to the navigation setting and turning the feature on.