Data
What type of data is collected by EverDrive?
EverDrive™ is a free smartphone application for iOS and Android smartphones. The app runs in the background and automatically records and scores trips as you drive. Information provided in EverDrive may help you become a safer driver.
Please read the EverDrive Privacy Policy for complete details.
The following data is gathered by EverDrive:
- Accelerometer
- Device screen on/off
- Time of day
- Vehicle location (GPS)
- Rotational Movements (Gyroscope Data)
- Email Address provided at signup
Is my data continuously collected?
No, it is only collected when there is significant movement that may indicate possible driving. No data is collected the rest of the time. Trip results usually appear a few minutes after a drive has completed.
Does the app use my battery?
Yes, EverDrive uses your phone’s battery, but has been carefully designed to use only a modest amount. The effect varies by device. During drives, battery consumption is usually a few percent per hour of driving, but it would be helpful to keep your battery charged during long multi-hour drives. The rest of the time, the battery impact is generally negligible. When the phone's battery level is below 10%, automatic drive detection is turned off and EverDrive will not collect sensor data.
Scoring
How does my driving affect my score?
EverDrive collects and analyzes driving data, and from that data the app computes your acceleration, braking, cornering, speeding and phone use. Then it uses that information to create an overall driving score. EverDrive calculates your score out of 100 based on the last two weeks of trips driven.
To maximize your score, drive at or near the posted speed limit, avoid harsh braking, avoid fast acceleration, don't take corners quickly and don't use your phone while driving. Imagine you're holding a cup of hot coffee while driving and you don't want to spill a drop. Most of all, always drive safely.
How does EverDrive measure and calculate my score?
EverDrive uses your smart phone's technology to measure your driving behavior. We use GPS to measure traveling speed by sampling for location at a consistent rate. We use the Accelerometer and Gyroscope to measure both longitudinal and lateral acceleration as well as a factor in detecting whether the phone is in use. We check if the phone's screen is on or off as a factor in detecting whether the phone is in use.
Speeding is detected by comparing the phone's estimated speed against the road's safe speed, usually the speed limit. Phone Use is detected by combining phone usage measurements from the Accelerometer, Phone Screen, and Gyroscope. Phone Use is only penalized when the car is in motion. Acceleration, Braking, and Cornering are all detected by the Accelerometer and Gyroscope.
Speeding events are measured in miles per hour over the safe speed and duration. Phone Use events are measured in duration and driving speed. Acceleration, Braking, and Cornering events are measured in g-forces above a minimum threshold and driving speed.
How is Acceleration calculated?
The phone characterizes 'harsh acceleration' when you're accelerating at 1/3G or above. It's safer to accelerate slightly more gradually; that way you're less likely to skid if the road is wet or icy, and you're less likely to be hit by someone running the red light. Frequent harsh acceleration is statistically correlated with "aggressive" driving, and aggressive drivers are somewhat more likely to get into crashes. So the app lets you know if you're accelerating quickly, and if you're doing it frequently, it penalizes your overall score more strongly.
How is Braking calculated?
The app will flag a 'hard braking' event when the phone registers about 1/3G when slowing down. If the pavement is slick due to rain or ice, average car tires can only deal with about 1/2G without skidding, so it's good to try to stay well below that as a habit for safety. Not all hard braking is bad driving! Sometimes you are cut off, or a pedestrian steps into the street, and you have to brake quickly. We understand that. But frequent hard braking is associated with things like tailgating or not paying attention, so if the app notices you hard braking a lot, it penalizes you for that. We have to detect all the braking events in order to know whether it is happening frequently or rarely.
How is Cornering calculated?
The app will flag a 'hard cornering' event when the phone registers about 1/3G sideways as you're going around a corner. If the pavement is slick due to rain or ice, 1/2G is about the maximum that average car tires can deal with without slipping, so it's good to stay below that level as a habit for safety. Some intersections (and windy roads) can force you to hard corner in order to keep up with traffic. So if you find that the app keeps marking you down for hard cornering at the same spot, then you should consider it a warning that the location is less safe to drive through.
How is Speeding calculated?
The app will flag you for speeding when you are going about 8mph or more (12kmh) over the speed limit. We realize that sometimes the flow of traffic is faster than the legal speed limit, and in an ideal world, the speed limit would be based on the natural flow of traffic. But as speed limits go up, people often speed past the new limit, and as speed goes up, fatal car crashes go up as well. What the 'safest' thing to do is complicated, so we currently base the safe speed on the legal limit. If we have the wrong limit on your drive, though, please let us know and we'll correct it.
How is Phone Distraction calculated?
Phone distraction is marked when EverDrive flags all three of the following factors:
- The screen is on
- The phone is being moved around
- The car is in motion
This combination of factors indicates that the driver's eyes and attention are both away from the road. If you put the phone in a cradle before you start driving, and don't pick it up to look at it or adjust anything during the drive at all (unless the car is stopped), it should not penalize you for distraction, but if the car is already moving, then it will. If you were a passenger rather than the driver, then you can change 'Driver' to 'Passenger' by tapping on the driving toggle. A future release may have an option so that you can label a drive as "the passenger was using the phone but I was driving", but until then, probably the best thing to do is to check the drive for any other issues you should be aware of, and then flag it as passenger, if you don't want the phone use to count against your score.
How do I tell EverDrive if I was not the driver?
There are two ways to do this:
- If you know in advance of a trip that you will be a passenger or traveling via bus, train or another mode of transportation, you can select "Pause Trip Recording" within the "More" section of the app.
- EverDrive attempts to classify trips when you are the passenger to filter those trips from your score. If the classification for a specific trip is inaccurate, you can change this by toggling "Were you driving?" within the Trips Results card in Home, in the "Trips" list or on the "Trip Details" screen.
How does the app know whether I’m a driver or passenger?
EverDrive learns about your individual driving style over time. Taking this into account along with contextual signals and recognized commutes, EverDrive may be able to determine whether you are likely to be the driver or passenger.
Why can't I see the results of my last trip?
EverDrive runs in the background and automatically records and scores trips as you drive. If you have just finished driving in the last few minutes, the app may still be deciding whether your trip is complete.
Can I use a BlueTooth headset to make phone calls while driving?
Using a Bluetooth device connected to your phone will NOT impact your score or be classified as phone use, as long as you do not interact with your phone while driving.
Can I use navigation apps such as Google Maps while driving?
Using a navigation app such as Google Maps will NOT impact your score or be classified as phone use, as long as you do not interact with your phone while driving.
How do I understand why my overall score is low?
Start by going to the "Trends" section within "My Driving". You will see your score broken down into the five main components: speeding, harsh acceleration, harsh braking, phone use and cornering. The best score is 100. Look and see which components have lower numbers.
The next step is to examine the "Trips" list within "My Driving" for trips over the last two weeks. For any trips that don't show 5 stars, tap on the trip to get to the "Trip Details" screen. You can see how each trip breaks down into the 5 score components. On the map, you'll also see where you had events that caused the scores to be less than 5 stars. Speeding appears as a red line on your trip where you were flagged for speeding. Phone usage appears as a blue-ish double line overlaid on your trip. Braking, acceleration and cornering all show as small bubbles marking where the event happened.
How do I get a better score if I've already had some harsh braking or speeding events?
Your score is based on the last two weeks of trips. If your driving skills improve (fewer events), then your score will become higher as the events recede into the past beyond two weeks.
How far do I have to drive to receive a Ranking?
We have a minimum requirement of 80 miles and 14 drives of over 2 miles during the past two weeks to appear in the state and city rankings.
Friends
How do I add friends to EverDrive?
You can invite friends to install EverDrive or add friends who already use EverDrive so that you can compare driving scores. The easiest way to add friends is to connect your Facebook account or import your contacts so you can see which of your friends already use EverDrive. Then you can request EverDrive friendship with them in a single click. You can also invite friends to download EverDrive by sharing a link through your phone’s native sharing options. You can find these friending features on the “Compete” section.
If I add someone as a friend, will they automatically show up in my Friend Rankings?
Once you send a friend request, the recipient must accept your request for the two of you to become friends. Once your request has been approved, you will appear on their Friend Rankings and they will appear on your Friend Rankings.
Installation
Why do I need to accept the location permission request?
When you download EverDrive, your phone’s operating system will send you a permission request to track your location. Accepting these permission requests allows EverDrive to measure your driving and calculate your score. In order for EverDrive to automatically track and score your driving, the app needs permission to track your location even when you are not using it.
Do I need to launch EverDrive for each trip so it can collect my driving Data?
No, EverDrive works in the background and will collect Data any time a drive is detected. Please make sure that your device is charged and turned on during trips. If battery life is below 10%, EverDrive will stop recording.
Do I need a data plan?
A data plan is needed so EverDrive can collect accurate data. However, EverDrive generally consumes only small amounts of data.
What happens if I downloaded EverDrive but have to change phones?
If you ever have to change phones or reinstall EverDrive, simply enter your email address into the app on the new phone. A PIN code will be sent to the email address you provided during initial registration. You will then need to provide that PIN code to the EverDrive app on your phone.
Are there any differences between EverDrive on an Android or iOS device?
EverDrive offers the same functionality on devices running either operating system. They also use the same scoring rules. There are minor user interface and design differences between Android and iOS.
Can I delete my account and all info from EverDrive?
Data collected by EverDrive will be held in your file. If you would like it to be deleted, send an email request to the support email address.
How does EverDrive decide what Town/City I'm from?
The app detects the location from which you start your first drive of the day. After a number of days, it chooses the most common location and sets that as your town/city. If it is wrong after a few days, use the "Support" screen within the "More" section of the app to send a request to customer support for it to be changed.
Where did all my trips go?
If you previously used EverDrive and come back to the app, you should see any trips you have taken in the last 90 days and your score since you first ever used EverDrive. If you are not seeing your past driving information, you may be logged into the wrong account. You can "Sign Out" from the "More" section of the app.
What are my responsibilities as an EverDrive user?
As an EverDrive user, you should make sure your smartphone is charged when you’re driving so EverDrive can collect data. If battery life is below 10%, no data will be collected.
Most of the time, EverDrive will automatically detect if you’re the driver or a passenger of a car by analyzing your trip. However, if you weren’t driving and the application did not detect it, simply label the trip in EverDrive.
Finally, drive safely and focus on the roads to maximize your score!
Privacy
Please read the EverDrive Privacy Policy for complete details.
Who can see my driving score?
Only your friends can see your driving score. Previously, EverDrive was based on usernames and all scores were public but now that all EverDrive works off first and last name, scores are private.
Does EverQuote share my data?
Your personal information and data collected in EverDrive is confidential and will be subject to the terms of the EverDrive Privacy Policy.
Will you report me for driving badly?
EverDrive is intended to help you improve your driving by providing you with feedback on your driving behavior and by providing driving improvement tips. While we hope everyone drives safely, EverDrive will not report bad driving.