I totally get where you're coming from. A few years back, I debated the same thing when my daughter got her license. She's generally careful, but you never know, right? We ended up getting accident forgiveness mostly for peace of mind during our cross-country trips—lots of miles, lots of weird parking lots, haha. Haven't needed it yet (knock on wood...), but knowing it's there makes those long drives slightly less stressful. You're right though—insurance companies definitely know how to do math in their favor, lol.
We went back and forth on this too when our son started driving. Here's what we figured out:
- Accident forgiveness is mostly peace of mind—you're paying a bit extra to avoid a big rate hike IF something happens.
- In Ohio, rates can jump quite a bit after just one accident, especially with younger drivers.
- For us, it was worth it because our kid was driving daily to school and practice, lots of busy intersections and tight parking spots.
- Haven't had to use it yet either (fingers crossed), but honestly, the reduced stress alone made it worthwhile for us.
We debated this too when my daughter started driving. At first, I thought it was just another upsell from the insurance folks... you know, one more way to squeeze extra cash out of us. But then a coworker shared his experience: his son had a minor fender-bender at 17, nothing serious, but their rates shot up like crazy. Took years to drop back down.
"Accident forgiveness is mostly peace of mind—you're paying a bit extra to avoid a big rate hike IF something happens."
Honestly, that's what got me reconsidering. My daughter's commute to school isn't that bad, but she does go through some busy areas and parking lots can be brutal. Still haven't pulled the trigger yet, though—part of me wonders if it's smarter to just set aside that extra money each month into a rainy-day fund instead. Curious if anyone's actually had to use accident forgiveness... did it really save you from a huge rate jump, or was it still a headache?
We went through something similar when our son started driving. At first, I thought accident forgiveness was just another gimmick too—insurance companies do love their upsells, don't they? But then he backed into a mailbox (don't ask...) and we actually had to use it. Honestly, it saved us from a pretty nasty rate hike.
"parking lots can be brutal."
You're not kidding—parking lots are like the wild west for new drivers. Might be worth it just for that peace of mind alone.
I get why accident forgiveness sounds appealing, especially with new drivers and parking lot chaos. But honestly, I've always felt it's a bit overrated. My daughter had a minor fender-bender last year—nothing major, just a little scrape in a grocery store lot—and we didn't have accident forgiveness. Sure, our rates went up slightly, but when I ran the numbers, paying extra every month for years to avoid one rate hike didn't seem worth it.
Insurance companies are smart; they're not going to offer something unless they're making money off it somehow. I'd rather put that extra cash aside each month into a rainy-day fund. That way, if something does happen, we've got a cushion ready to go—and if nothing happens, we still have the money instead of handing it over to the insurance company.
Not saying it's never worth it...just that you might want to crunch some numbers first before jumping in.
