Honestly, I’ve wondered the same thing. Around here, it feels like you’re just one icy morning or rogue squirrel away from needing that forgiveness. I get the appeal—peace of mind and all—but sometimes it feels like you’re paying for something you hope never to use. Has anyone actually had to use accident forgiveness in Ohio? Did it really save you money, or did your premium just sneak up later anyway?
sometimes it feels like you’re paying for something you hope never to use
That’s the dilemma, isn’t it? I’ve read that in Ohio, accident forgiveness can prevent a big rate hike after your first at-fault accident, but I wonder if insurers just factor that risk into your base premium anyway. Has anyone noticed if their rates were higher even before an accident, just for having the coverage?
- Had accident forgiveness on my last policy in Ohio.
- My base premium was a bit higher compared to a similar plan without it—maybe $8-10/month more.
- Never used it, but I kept thinking, “Is this just peace of mind tax?”
- Honestly, I drive pretty cautiously, so I dropped it after a year. Didn’t see much difference in rates after.
- Feels like you’re paying for a “just in case” that might never happen... but I guess that’s insurance in a nutshell.
I get where you’re coming from. I had accident forgiveness tacked onto my policy for a couple years, and honestly, it always felt like one of those “just in case” add-ons that insurance companies love to upsell. I’m a pretty defensive driver—never had a claim in 15+ years—so I started wondering if I was just tossing money away every month for something I’d never use.
But here’s the thing: my cousin got rear-ended last winter (not even his fault, but the other driver’s insurance tried to pin partial blame on him). His rates shot up after the claim, and he didn’t have accident forgiveness. He’s still annoyed about it. That made me pause before dropping mine, but in the end, I did the math and realized I’d have to go years without an at-fault accident for it to make sense financially.
I think for folks with a clean record who drive carefully, it’s kind of like paying extra for a lottery ticket you hope you’ll never need. But if you’ve got a teen driver in the house or you’re on the road a ton, maybe it’s worth the peace of mind. For me, I’d rather stash that $100-ish per year in savings and just keep driving safe.
Insurance is weird like that—half of it is just hedging your bets against bad luck. Sometimes I wonder if these little add-ons are more about making us feel secure than actually saving us money in the long run.
I get the logic behind dropping it, especially if you’re a careful driver. But here’s what I keep coming back to:
. With my classic cars, I’m always thinking about worst-case scenarios. Have you ever looked into how accident forgiveness actually works with collector or specialty policies? I’ve heard some companies don’t even offer it for older vehicles. Wonder if that changes the equation for folks like us who aren’t just driving daily beaters.half of it is just hedging your bets against bad luck
