When plugged into a car's computer, the Allstate Drive Wise device can monitor driving habits and reward the good ones.

Allstate has launched a voluntary program that uses a device installed in a car to reward safe and low-mileage Illinois drivers with savings of up to 30 percent.

The Northbrook-based auto insurer plans to expand the program, called Drive Wise, to other states as early as the second quarter of 2011.

Allstate Drive Wise participants get a small, wireless gadget that plugs into their vehicle’s onboard computer through the diagnostic port, usually under the dashboard.

For consumers concerned about Big Brother, Allstate said  the device tracks only factors used to calculate a driving score, including  mileage; driving time of day; hard or extreme braking; and maximum speed.
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