"But if you've had a clean record for years and drive cautiously, it might not pay off."
Yeah, this matches my experience pretty closely. I've been commuting daily around Columbus for about 12 years now, and I've never had an accident (knock on wood...). When I renewed my policy last year, my agent offered accident forgiveness, but after crunching the numbers, it didn't really add up. It would've cost me around $75 extra per year, and considering my driving history, I figured I'd rather keep that money in my pocket.
On the flip side, my brother-in-law has two teenage drivers at home, and he's had a totally different experience. They've already had a couple minor fender-benders, and he swears accident forgiveness has saved him from some serious premium hikes.
So yeah, it really depends on your personal situation and comfort level. I'd definitely second the advice to get exact numbers from your agent before deciding either way.
I get your point, but honestly, even cautious drivers can have bad luck. A couple years back, I was rear-ended at a stoplight downtown—totally not my fault, but it still counted as a claim. My premiums jumped quite a bit afterward. Makes me wonder if accident forgiveness might've been worth it after all...even if you're careful, you can't control everyone else on the road.
That's a fair point, but I think the real question is how often these incidents actually happen. I've been commuting daily through Columbus traffic for nearly a decade now, and while I've had my share of close calls, I've only had one minor fender-bender. Even then, the premium increase wasn't drastic enough to make me regret skipping accident forgiveness. It seems like insurance companies market accident forgiveness heavily, but I'm skeptical about whether it's truly cost-effective for most drivers in the long run.
Maybe it depends on your daily route or driving habits? For instance, if you're regularly navigating congested downtown areas or highways during rush hour, perhaps accident forgiveness makes more sense. Has anyone here compared the long-term costs of accident forgiveness versus just absorbing the occasional premium hike after an incident? I'd be curious to see if the math actually supports paying extra upfront.
"Has anyone here compared the long-term costs of accident forgiveness versus just absorbing the occasional premium hike after an incident?"
I've run the numbers for a few clients, and honestly, accident forgiveness rarely pays off unless you're prone to frequent mishaps or have a high-risk commute. Most drivers in Ohio won't see enough premium hikes to justify the upfront cost. But if you're regularly stuck in bumper-to-bumper downtown Columbus traffic...might be worth considering. Still skeptical overall, but it's not totally useless.
I looked into this last year when we renewed our policy. Honestly, for our family it didn't make sense—we've only had one minor fender-bender in the last decade. I'd rather save the extra cash and just cross my fingers... carefully, of course.
