Frequently Asked Questions

Section 1 – About DriveDown

1. What is DriveDown?
DriveDown is the Farm Bureau deductible reward program.  Participation in the program saves Farm Bureau customers on their deductible just for being a safe driver.  The program can help you see how safe you’re driving and the safer you drive, the more you save on your deductible.

2. What information does DriveDown collect?
DriveDown gathers basic driving information such as distance, speed, and the time of day you drive. DriveDown runs in your phone’s background to collect information associated with your driving patterns. DriveDown runs in the background to collect information associated with your driving patterns.

3. Does DriveDown listen to my calls or read any of my messages?
No. The app only captures data such as trip start and end times, miles, acceleration, braking behavior, cornering, speed, and indications of phone use such as incoming and outgoing call status during a trip.

You can view our Mobile Agent Privacy Policy for more information on our data collection.

4. Will participating in the DriveDown program cause my insurance premium to increase or decrease?
The DriveDown program is a deductible rewards program. Any driving data collected as a result of your enrollment in the DriveDown program will not be used to determine your premium at any time.

5. When will my 5% reward for signing up be available? 
You earn the 5% reward after you complete enrollment, turn on all necessary motion and tracking features, and take your first trip.

6. How often is a reward percentage earned?
Every 30 days.

7. If I file a claim, does my deductible reward percentage drop back to 5% or remain at the percentage level I’ve earned?
You do not lose the reward percentage. It remains at the level you’ve earned.

8. Can I use my reward percentage on a claim in which someone else is the driver?
No. You must be the driver for the claim in order for your reward percentage to apply.

9. If I am driving a vehicle that I do not own, will my deductible reward apply?
If the damaged vehicle is insured with Farm Bureau (AR, FL, LA, MS or SC only) you may use your deductible reward.

10. Can I use my reward percentage on glass repairs and/or replacements?
No. Glass only claims including, but not limited to, windshields, side glass and back glass are not eligible for the deductible reward to be applied.

11. What age drivers may participate in the DriveDown program?
All drivers 18 years of age or older under a Farm Bureau membership are eligible for the program.

12. How long will it take my first driving score to show up in DriveDown?
The first score will be reflected in DriveDown seven days after the first trip is recorded.

13. Do I need the app open for it to work?
No. DriveDown is designed to run in the background and will detect when you’re driving. Go ahead and just drive like you normally do.

14. Can I change my name, phone number or driver’s license number? 
You may use the Edit or Unenroll Driver feature in DriveDown to change your phone number.  Please contact Customer Support for assistance in changing any other information.

Note: Your rewards stay with you even if your phone number changes.

15. What if I upgrade my phone or get a new phone (same phone number)?
Your rewards stay with you even if you get a new phone.  Download the MobileAgent app to your new phone and click on the DriveDown icon.

Caution: You will need to accept terms and conditions and approve location access as well to ensure your trips continue to get recorded.

Note:  Trips are stored locally on your phone so you will not see your trip history from the replaced device on the new phone.

16. What if I get a new membership number or my membership number changes?
Please contact Customer Support at 1-866-275-7322 for assistance with membership number changes for MobileAgent app and DriveDown.

17. What permissions will DriveDown need in order to work?
DriveDown needs access to a few permissions and settings to record trips.
For Android devices

Turn on:

• Location services
• Wi-Fi

Enable:

• Google Play Services

Allow access to:

• Location permission – “Allow all the time”
• Storage permission

• Physical activity (for Android 10 and above)

For iOS devices

Allow access to:

• Location – “Always”
• Precise Location enabled (for iOS 14)
• Motion & Fitness
• Background app refresh

Turn off:

• Low power mode

For both Android and iOS, you’ll need at minimum 800MB of storage space available and at least a 5% battery charge.

18. Why does DriveDown need access to location and Motion & Fitness?
In order to properly record trips in the background, we need access to your location. DriveDown’s battery usage is like other navigational apps.

Motion and Fitness is the term Apple uses to describe your phone’s motion sensors. We do not measure your fitness activity. However, we do use your phone’s motion sensor to detect when you’re moving in a car and to measure any driving behaviors.

19. Can I turn DriveDown off without uninstalling it?
No, DriveDown will record trips even if the app is not running.  However, disabling location services, motion & fitness or Background App Refresh for the app will prevent DriveDown from recording trips and you may not receive a reward percentage, depending on how long the settings are disabled.

20. Does deleting DriveDown from my phone unenroll me from the program?  
No. However, without the app on the phone, you will not be tracking trips and therefore, not earning any additional percentage towards your deductible reward.

21. How do I unenroll from the DriveDown program?
Use the unenroll feature in DriveDown under the “More” tab. Click on the 3 dots and land on the menu screen. From there, select Edit or Unenroll Driver.

22. If I unenroll from the program, can I re-enroll?
Yes. Sign up as you originally did through the MobileAgent app.

Caution:  Unenrolling from the program will delete any reward that has been earned.  A claim made after unenrolling in the program will not be eligible for any deductible reward.  After re-enrolling in the program, the deductible reward will start over at 5% after you complete re-enrollment, turn on all necessary motion and tracking features, and take your first trip.

23. How much battery is consumed by DriveDown?
A number of factors can result in more or less battery consumption to occur based on using a GPS app.  Some of the most prominent factors that will cause battery consumption to vary are phone make/model, phone operating system, Cellular Tower Proximity, and when more than one GPS application is running simultaneously.

24. How does running the DriveDown app on my phone impact my cellular data plan?
Data usage by the DriveDown app is minimal. You shouldn’t see an impact on your data plan.

25. Can I participate in the DriveDown program if I have Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) as my phone service? 
No, the app does not support phone services provided over the internet (VoIP) at this time.

Section 2 – Driving Behaviors

26. What is distracted driving?
Distracted driving means using your phone while driving. It includes activities like making or accepting phone calls, texting, or actively using apps like navigation or music.  Passive activities such as using a Bluetooth device or interacting with Apple CarPlay or Google Android Auto generally don’t count towards distracted driving.

Safety Tip:  For your safety and the safety of others, enable “Do Not Disturb” mode before your trip and limit your phone use until after you arrive at your destination.

Note: Some examples of phone use that aren’t considered distracted driving include making or accepting a hands-free call without touching your phone, setting up navigation and music apps before starting your trip, or using your phone while waiting in a drive-thru line.

27. Does DriveDown listen to, read, or store your calls or messages?
No. Please review the Mobile Agent Privacy Policy for more information on our data collection.

28. How is the score calculated?
DriveDown’s goal is to help you understand your driving habits and assess your typical driving style with a score that is updated regularly. Possible scores range from 0 to 10, with 10 indicating the least risky behavior. Your score is based on several factors:

• Distracted Driving
• High speed
• Sudden braking
• Time of Day 

The driving score calculation accounts for the behaviors relative to the number of miles driven. This ensures the score reflects your driving patterns, so rare behaviors – such as braking suddenly to avoid hitting a deer or driving home from a concert late at night – won’t have a significant impact on your score.

Note:  Your score determines your reward percentage received for the 30-day driving period.

29. What is high speed?
High speed represents distance driven at speeds above 80 MPH. Being conscious of your speed can        help lower your risks on the road.

30. What is sudden braking?

Sudden braking is when DriveDown detects a short period of rapid deceleration. Stay alert, maintain a safe following distance, and drive defensively to avoid situations requiring sudden braking.

31. What is time of day?
Certain times of day, especially late at night, can make driving difficult, stressful, or impact your reaction times. If you have to drive during less safe hours, stay alert and limit distractions.

32. How does the app know if I’m the driver or a passenger?
Arity, LLC, a third-party mobility data and analytics company with whom we contract in connection with DriveDown, uses an algorithm to detect when a user is driving or is a passenger. However, we are always improving that algorithm and sometimes it still detects a passenger as a driver — if that happens, you can always go in and edit the trip to show you were the passenger by tapping on the vehicle mode icon.

NOTE:  To see a step by step of how to update vehicle mode, view the “How do I update a trip if I wasn’t driving” question within the Troubleshooting section.

Section 3 – “Troubleshooting”

33. Why am I not seeing my trips or why are some of my trips missing?
Depending on your phone, trips may no longer appear due to the number of trips or the timeframe.   Individual trips are stored for 30 days.

If a new phone was purchased, your trips will not be transferred to the new phone.  Refer to FAQ 15. above for details.

If you updated your phone recently, the location settings for DriveDown may not have been saved.   Check to ensure that location services are set to “always” and not the default “when using the app”.

34. How do I update a trip if I wasn’t driving?
You will need to change the mode of transportation.

• Go to the Summary screen or Trips Screen:
• Click the pencil next to the transportation mode
• Select the correct mode of transportation – whether you were a passenger, on public transportation, riding a bicycle, etc..

35. If I encounter technical issues and need assistance, who can I contact?
Please contact Customer Support at 1-866-275-7322 for assistance.