I used to think accident forgiveness was just another upsell, honestly. Hadn't had a single fender-bender in over a decade, figured why bother? Then last winter, some guy slid right into my parked Audi—Ohio ice, gotta love it. Even though it wasn't my fault, my rates jumped noticeably. Made me reconsider if accident forgiveness might've cushioned that blow a bit. Still skeptical overall, but I can see the appeal now...especially around here.
"Even though it wasn't my fault, my rates jumped noticeably."
Tell me about it...I had one minor slip-up on black ice last year—barely tapped a mailbox—and suddenly I'm paying like I'm auditioning for Fast & Furious. Accident forgiveness would've saved me some cash for sure. Still hurts every time I open that bill, lol. Worth considering if you're as "lucky" as I am driving around Ohio winters.
Totally feel your pain on that mailbox incident. Had a similar thing happen a couple winters back—just slid into a curb, no other cars involved, nothing major. Still, my premium shot up like I'd totaled a Ferrari or something. Accident forgiveness would've definitely cushioned that blow. It's one of those things you don't really think about until you're staring at the bill wondering how a little slip-up could cost so much...especially with Ohio's unpredictable winter roads.
I get where you're coming from, but honestly, I've always been on the fence about accident forgiveness. Yeah, Ohio winters can be brutal—black ice and unexpected snowstorms are practically a given—but insurance companies aren't exactly charities. They're in it to make money, right? So if they're offering accident forgiveness, aren't they just baking that cost into your premium anyway? It's like paying extra upfront 'just in case' something happens.
A few years back, I did a road trip through Michigan and Wisconsin during winter (not my brightest idea...), and even with cautious driving, things got sketchy fast. Thankfully no accidents, but it got me thinking: maybe instead of shelling out for accident forgiveness each month, it's smarter to stash that cash away as an emergency fund. Then if you do have a minor incident like the mailbox thing or sliding into a curb, you've got something set aside to handle the premium hike.
Has anyone actually crunched the numbers on this? Curious if accident forgiveness genuinely saves money long-term or just gives us peace of mind at a premium...
I've wondered about this too, and honestly, after looking into it a bit, it seems like accident forgiveness mostly pays off if you're prone to minor mishaps or have younger drivers on your policy. For most careful drivers, especially if you've got a solid driving record, you're probably better off just setting aside some emergency cash. Insurance companies definitely aren't losing money on this deal, lol. But hey, peace of mind counts for something, right?
