Totally agree—Ohio weather is sneaky as heck. I've seen claims from folks who swore they'd never need accident forgiveness, then BAM... black ice or potholes strike again. Honestly, it's not even about driving skill sometimes, just luck (or lack thereof). Plus, repairs on Audis aren't exactly pocket change, so a little safeguard can save you from a nasty premium hike later. Learned that one myself the hard way too.
"Honestly, it's not even about driving skill sometimes, just luck (or lack thereof)."
You're spot on there. Seen plenty of experienced drivers get blindsided by Ohio winters... and Audis are definitely not cheap fixes. Accident forgiveness can seriously ease the sting when things inevitably go sideways.
Accident forgiveness has saved my butt more than once, honestly. I mean, I'm not exactly the poster child for safe driving (speeding tickets are kinda my thing), but even careful drivers can hit black ice or get rear-ended at a stoplight. Still, I've heard some insurers jack up your rates anyway after an accident, forgiveness or not. Anyone had experience with that—does it really keep your premiums from skyrocketing in Ohio winters?
I've had accident forgiveness on my policy for about three years now, and here's what I've noticed:
- Had one minor fender-bender last winter (black ice, go figure), and my rates didn't budge at renewal. So yeah, it definitely helped me out there.
- BUT...my friend had a similar situation with a different insurer, and even though they didn't technically raise her rates for the accident itself, her premium still went up slightly due to "general rate adjustments." Sneaky, right?
- From what I've seen, accident forgiveness usually protects you from the big hikes directly tied to your accident. But insurers can still find other reasons to bump your rates—like statewide increases or changes in your credit score.
- Overall though, especially with Ohio winters being as unpredictable as they are, I'd say it's worth it. Even if it doesn't guarantee zero increases forever, it can save you from a major spike after an unlucky slip-up.
Just my two cents...hope that helps!
Yeah, accident forgiveness saved my butt after a deer decided to play chicken with me near Columbus. Didn't see any rate hikes directly, but like you said, insurers always find sneaky ways to inch premiums up anyway...still worth it imo.
