I get the peace of mind angle, but I’m a little skeptical about accident forgiveness—especially in Ohio where rates are already all over the place. You pay for years, maybe never use it, and then if you do have a fender bender, it only covers the first one. I’ve got a ‘72 Chevelle that barely leaves the garage in winter, but even with my daily driver, I’d rather keep my record clean than rely on an insurance “get out of jail free” card. Sometimes I think the real win is just driving extra cautiously and pocketing the savings. But I get why it feels worth it for some folks, especially with unpredictable weather...
I hear you on the Chevelle—mine’s a ‘69 and it’s basically a garage queen half the year too. Here’s how I look at it: if you’re driving something classic or barely putting miles on, accident forgiveness is probably overkill. For my daily, I just focus on defensive driving and keeping my record clean. The one time I did have a minor scrape, the rate hike wasn’t as bad as I’d feared. Feels like insurance companies bank on us paying for peace of mind we rarely use... but hey, if you’ve got a lead foot or a long commute in Ohio winters, maybe it’s worth considering.
I get where you’re coming from—my daily is an old Accord that’s seen more than its fair share of Midwest winters and highway miles. I’ve always wondered if accident forgiveness is just another way for companies to squeeze a few extra bucks, especially since I’ve only filed a claim once in the last decade. That said, my cousin commutes from Akron to Cleveland every day and swears by it after getting rear-ended two winters ago. His rates barely budged, but then again, he’s got a longer drive and way more risk than I do.
I guess my question is: does anyone know if insurance companies actually look at your specific driving habits or do they just throw everyone into the same bucket? I’d hate to pay for something that doesn’t really factor in how little or how carefully I drive. It almost feels like they’re betting on us being paranoid... but maybe there’s some hidden value if you’re on the road non-stop in snow season.
does anyone know if insurance companies actually look at your specific driving habits or do they just throw everyone into the same bucket?
That’s something I wonder about too. I’ve heard some companies use those plug-in trackers or apps to monitor your driving, but unless you sign up for that, I think it’s mostly just age, zip code, and accident history. My buddy drives way less than me and pays almost the same, which seems kinda unfair. For folks like your cousin with crazy commutes in winter, accident forgiveness probably makes sense, but for those of us who barely rack up miles, it feels a bit like overkill.
- Agree with you on the unfairness. I drive a pretty expensive car but barely put 5k miles on it a year, and my rate’s still high.
-
— Same boat here. Feels like unless you opt into those tracking apps, they just lump us all together.“My buddy drives way less than me and pays almost the same, which seems kinda unfair.”
- I looked into accident forgiveness, but for low-mileage drivers, it’s not really worth the extra cost. If you’ve got a clean record and don’t drive much, you’re basically paying for peace of mind you probably won’t need.
- Only exception I see is if you’re super worried about a random fender bender jacking up your rates... but honestly, I’d rather just keep my premium down.