What is State Farm Steer Clear and How does it work?

Younger drivers face higher risks and higher insurance premiums than their older, more experienced counterparts. Time and experience helps eliminate these costs—on average—and fortunately there are ways to speed up the process. State Farm offers a use-based insurance program for eligible young drivers called Steer Clear to help them develop safe driving skills. Through the telematics program, young drivers are taught skills and techniques that promote safe and responsible driving habits in exchange for potential discounts. This Bankrate Steer Clear review will help you understand how the program evaluates your teen's driving and how using the program can help you save.

What is State Farm Steer Clear?

Drivers who are younger are more likely to be responsible for fatal vehicle accidents than older, more experienced drivers, therefore Steer Clear is intended to promote safe driving behaviors for persons under the age of 25. at the same time on their auto insurance. This program can be beneficial because young drivers typically face higher insurance premiums than any age group. The program includes an online course, road coaching, and mentoring from other licensed drivers.

Steer Clear is not accessible in every state. The best way to find out if this program is an option for you or the young driver in your home is to contact your local State Farm dealer.

Although the program teaches safe driving habits, such as blind spot awareness, driving in bad weather, and changing lanes, it is not a substitute for a traditional driver education course. To qualify for the Steer Clear State Farm Program, participants must already have a valid driver's license and be under the age of 25 in most states.

How does State Farm Steer Clear work?

Drivers who want to join the State Farm Steer Clear program should check with their State Farm representative to see whether they qualify. Then, to take the online course and register driving hours, prospective drivers must download the State Farm Steer Clear smartphone app.

The State Farm Steer Clear in-app training is divided into five courses that cover many critical subjects such as:

Invisible places

Basic vehicle safety

Change track

Connect with other drivers

Driving in bad weather

Entry positions

Dealing with emergencies

Care

Texting and driving

The program's second part is driving practice. The requirements on the road are slightly different for each age group. Here are the instructions:

Drivers under 19: If a learner's permit, have completed 20 driving trips under the supervision of a licensed driver over the age of 25.

Drivers ages 19-24: Complete five trips driving with or without another licensed driver. This also applies to new drivers who are over 24 years old but have less than 3 years of driving experience.

Driving times for each ride can be logged into the State Farm Steer Clear mobile app. Members of the family and other supervising drivers are encouraged to provide feedback on the app about the driver's progress.

Once a driver has successfully completed the course, earned hours on the road and completed a post-assessment test, they will receive a certificate of completion. This certificate will be given to their State Farm agent, who will add the Safe Driver Steer Clear reduction to their insurance price. The only requirement is that program requirements must be completed within a six-month time frame to qualify.

Who Eligible for State Farm Steer Clear?

The State Farm Steer Clear program can help many young drivers, but there are a few restrictions, including

Be under the age of 25 and have less than three years of driving experience.

Hold a valid driver's license

There has been no accident or traffic violation in the past three years.

Complete the application cycle and work hours on the road within six months.

Young adults must have a State Farm policy with their vehicle prior to enrolling in the program. However, teens can also claim this insurance deductible if they will be joining a parent or family member's existing auto policy.

If you are over 25 or do not qualify for a clear directive, you may be able to enroll in the State Farm's Drive Safe and Save program. Drive Safe & Save monitors your driving habits such as hard braking, speeding, and speeding and offers you discounts based on your personal driving style. Participation in this program can provide you with significant savings. According to the State Farm website, Drive Safe & Save can help you get up to 30% off your insurance policy.

The State Farm Steer Clear app

The State Farm Steer Clear app has received positive feedback from consumers and is available for download on iOS and Android. Users may also acquire the download link by texting STEER to 78836. On the App Store, it has over 41,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.7 stars. On the Google Play Store, the app has over 2,000 reviews with an average of 4.3 stars.

Overall, the State Farm Steer Clear is relatively easy to use. It has a simple user interface and dashboards to track unit completion and progress toward driving goals. In reviews, most users say the course units were easy to follow, but the learning material was not considered more advanced than the material covered on the permit exam.

The State Farm Steer Clear app also records real-time driving and assigns a score to drivers when they complete a ride. The app senses vehicle movement to calculate speed, turns and other maneuvers. It also tracks the length of the trip, making it easy to record times on the road.

However, many users said that the accuracy of the driving result needs to be updated or corrected. They've expressed frustration with having the app log their entire ride without a midway reset.

Is the State Farm Steer Clear Program Worth It?

State Farm's Steer Clear program provides an easy option for drivers under the age of 25 to learn the basics of driving and gain experience behind the wheel while saving on car insurance. Steer Clear offers course training, including videos, modules, tests, leadership coaching sessions, mentoring, and program certification.

However, as with any program, State Farm's clear orientation has its downsides. The discount is only valid upon completion of the program, and the program must be completed within six months. Drivers who have been involved in a at-fault accident or have been ticketed for a moving violation within the past three years are not eligible for the State Farm's Steer Clear program.

If you're interested in this type of incentive program, but don't qualify for Steer Clear, consider checking with other auto insurers to see what discounts are available for young drivers. Each company offers unique discounts with different qualifications, so you can enroll your teen in a similar program with a different occupation to save money. For example, Nationwide also offers a safe driving program called SmartRide that offers discounts to drivers of all ages for similar safe driving habits.