Yeah, learned that one the hard way a couple years back. I had a minor fender bender in Columbus—nothing major, but enough to file a claim. My insurer at the time touted their "accident forgiveness," but turns out
. Sure, my rates didn't spike immediately, but when I shopped around later, other companies still saw it and adjusted their quotes accordingly. So... helpful, maybe, but definitely not the magic shield some insurers make it out to be."it doesn't erase the accident from your driving record"
Had a similar experience myself. A few years ago, I backed into a mailbox—nothing major, but enough to file a claim. Accident forgiveness kept my rates steady initially, but like you said, other insurers still noticed it later. Helpful short-term, but definitely not foolproof...
"Helpful short-term, but definitely not foolproof..."
Yeah, that's exactly it—accident forgiveness is like that friend who covers your tab once but reminds everyone at every party afterward. Handy in the moment, but insurers have long memories...
I totally agree with your analogy about the friend covering your tab—pretty spot-on. Accident forgiveness can definitely be handy, but it's important to look at it from a practical standpoint too, especially here in Ohio.
First off, accident forgiveness usually comes with some strings attached. Most insurers around here require you to have a clean driving record for a certain period before they'll even offer it. So if you've had a minor fender-bender recently, you might not even qualify right away. Plus, not all accidents are treated equally—some policies only forgive minor incidents, while major collisions or DUIs are often excluded entirely.
Another thing to consider: cost versus benefit. Accident forgiveness typically adds a bit extra to your premium each month. Over time, that extra cost can add up significantly. If you're generally a cautious driver and haven't had an accident in years, you might be paying for coverage you'll never actually use. On the flip side, if you're commuting daily through busy cities like Columbus or Cleveland (trust me, I know how unpredictable traffic can get there), the odds of eventually having a minor mishap do go up slightly.
Also worth noting is that accident forgiveness usually applies to just one accident per policy period or every few years—depending on your insurer's fine print. So if you're unfortunate enough to have two incidents close together (hey, it happens), only the first one gets forgiven; the second one will still impact your rates.
Personally, I've found that maintaining a solid emergency savings fund and focusing on defensive driving techniques has been more beneficial in the long run than relying solely on accident forgiveness coverage. But everyone's situation is different—it's definitely worth crunching some numbers and checking your insurer's specific terms before making the call.
Just my two cents from someone who's spent way too much time navigating Ohio highways!
