"even careful drivers get caught up sometimes"
Exactly. I've seen some pretty cautious folks get tangled up downtown—especially around rush hour or game days. Accident forgiveness isn't a must-have for everyone, but in Columbus traffic... it definitely helps ease the anxiety a bit.
Totally get the logic behind accident forgiveness, especially in Columbus where traffic can get messy fast. But honestly, I'd recommend crunching the numbers first. Check out your current premiums, then call around or run some online quotes to see how much extra it costs. Sometimes it's just cheaper to set aside a little emergency fund instead. I've handled claims for plenty of folks who've paid years for forgiveness and never needed it...just sayin'.
Yeah, totally agree with doing the math first. I looked into accident forgiveness myself a while back, and honestly, it seemed like just another way for insurance companies to squeeze a few extra bucks out of us. Instead, I put aside a small chunk each month into savings—figured I'd rather keep my money than hand it over for something I might never use. Been driving around Columbus for years now without an accident (knock on wood...), so far that strategy's worked out fine.
I see your point about setting aside money instead of paying extra for accident forgiveness. I used to think similarly, but my perspective shifted after a minor fender-bender on a road trip through Ohio a couple years back. It was nothing major—just a parking lot scrape—but it still counted as an at-fault accident. My premium jumped noticeably afterward, and I ended up paying quite a bit more over the next few years.
After that experience, I did some digging into accident forgiveness options. Turns out, depending on your insurer and driving record, it can actually make financial sense in certain cases. It's not always just a cash grab—sometimes it's genuinely beneficial if you're unlucky enough to have even a minor incident.
Of course, everyone's situation is different, and if you've got a spotless record (like you seem to), then putting money aside might indeed be smarter. But after my little mishap near Cleveland, I'm definitely glad I opted in for accident forgiveness coverage going forward...just in case lightning strikes twice.
I get where you're coming from, but isn't accident forgiveness usually limited to one incident every few years? If you have a second minor scrape soon after, wouldn't your premiums jump anyway? Seems like it might depend on how often you drive or your comfort with risk...
