I’ve wondered about this too. Like you said,
, and I’m not convinced it’s always worth it. I had a fender bender a couple years ago—no accident forgiveness—and my rates did go up, but honestly, not as much as I feared. It wasn’t some massive jump, just enough to notice. I get the appeal of that “safety net,” but I’m skeptical it actually pays off for most people unless you’re really accident-prone. The insurance ads definitely make it sound scarier than it turned out for me.the extra cost adds up over time
Honestly, I get where you’re coming from, but I’m not sure it’s that simple. My cousin got rear-ended last winter—totally not his fault, but the other driver’s insurance dragged their feet and his own company still dinged him. His rates shot up way more than mine did after a minor scrape a few years back. Maybe it depends on the company or even your driving record? I just don’t trust that the “small increase” is always the case, especially if you’ve got teen drivers or a couple claims in a short time. Sometimes that “safety net” is worth it just for peace of mind, even if you never use it.
I hear you on the “small increase” thing being kind of a myth sometimes. I’ve had two not-at-fault accidents in the last five years (one was a deer, the other was a distracted driver who swerved into me), and my rates still jumped. It’s like, even if you’re technically not to blame, they find a way to justify raising your premium. I think it’s worse if you’ve got a couple dings on your record already—insurance companies seem to love stacking stuff against you.
Accident forgiveness sounded like a gimmick to me at first, but after my second claim, I started wishing I’d paid for it. The peace of mind is real, especially if you’ve got kids learning to drive or just bad luck with other drivers. It’s not cheap, but neither is getting hit with a $400 rate hike out of nowhere. I guess it depends on how risk-averse you are, but for some of us, it’s less about “if” and more about “when.”
It’s not cheap, but neither is getting hit with a $400 rate hike out of nowhere. I guess it depends on how risk-averse you are, but for some of us, it’s less about “if” and more about “wh...
Yeah, I totally get what you mean about the “small increase” being a myth. Insurance companies always seem to find a way to bump up your rates, even when it’s not your fault. I used to think accident forgiveness was just another upsell too, but after my wife got rear-ended last year (not her fault), our premium still went up. That peace of mind starts sounding pretty good after a couple of those surprises. Sometimes it really does feel like it’s just a matter of time before something happens, no matter how careful you are.
I hear you—my family’s had the same frustration. We went years without a claim, then my son barely tapped another car in a parking lot and our rate still jumped. Honestly, I used to roll my eyes at accident forgiveness, but after seeing how unpredictable insurance hikes can be (even for tiny stuff), it’s starting to make more sense. It’s not cheap, but neither are those “random” increases that seem to come out of nowhere. It’s like paying for peace of mind in a system that doesn’t always feel fair.
