Who said adulting was fun?
True story, I was held hostage for 90 days by a judgy little app.
It’s called IntelliDrive and has some pretty ‘iffy’ criteria in my opinion. It sounds straightforward enough, they evaluate you on five criteria. They don’t tell you exactly how they measure those criteria or how the algorithm works.
The biggest struggle for me was Time of Day. Basically, it’s going to ding you if you drive during rush hour or after dark. It’s best to just accept it going in, you are going to get dinged for when you drive. Good news: not all dings are created equal, and this category is the most forgiving. I grumbled extensively that if I made stops on the way home to run errands, I took a new hit each time I started the car again. And I’ll confess, yes, I once sat in the stupid parking lot for 15 minutes so I would safely be out of rush hour before going home. I also didn’t mind handing Le my keys and saying, we can take my car, but you have to drive, I’m currently on restriction at this time of day.
Before signing up, I was known for being the hard braker in the family. This scared me the most about signing up. Knowing I had RubyG on my side—my brand-new little Hot Wheel—I courageously took the plunge. She earned Best Supporting Vehicle. I relied on integrated cruise control to help me slow down and I used it religiously. Being me, I still got one Hard Braking hit.
I want to appeal the hit I took for Acceleration. The joy I felt going to work one morning, seeing no traffic on the interstate—sure, I hit the gas. It was a 65 MPH zone. That ding just made me mad. I got to suck it up and work on things I could control.
I maintained perfect scores for excessive speed and distraction. Being able to use Apple CarPlay on the car screen is the only reason I pulled that off. With maps, texts, calls, my Audible books and media to listen to Alby’s iPod, I had no reason to pick up my phone. However, that meant for 90 days, I avoided ordering on the app to Chick-fil-A, which happens to be a block from my office. I wasn’t about to pick up my phone to scan the QR code for pickup and get dinged.
One weekend, I was driving and Le reached over to pick up my phone and I screamed at her— “DON’T TOUCH MY PHONE!” Yes, I apologized for my overreaction, but damn, I was obsessed about the grading system.
At the end of the longest and possibly the most absurd 90 days of my life, I became hyperaware of my habits and my choices.
I scored a 28.1% discount at renewal
And
I am honestly a better driver.
You may now ride with me without fearing whiplash.
P.S. But for Harper, I’ll still keep car-sick bands in the car.
