Insurance Tip of the Month - Accident Forgiveness
An accident forgiveness endorsement is worth your consideration.
Imagine it’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon. You call up your best buddy and suggest you take advantage of the gorgeous day by doing a hike up in the mountains. Since it was your idea, you offer to drive, and the two of you set out on what you expect will be a perfectly peaceful and relaxing day enjoying nature. During the ride, you two catch up on each other’s lives, discuss current events, and which trail you’re going to hike. It’s all going exactly the way you had it planned in your head, and then suddenly BAM! The car in front of you slams on its brakes, for what seems like no apparent reason, and you rear-end them. Luckily for you, nobody is hurt, but the front end of your car looks like an accordion, and the other car’s bumper is hanging on the ground! If you are like most people, once you know everyone is okay, you start to get angry. You’re mad at the driver in front of you; irritated with yourself for having taken your eyes off the road for a split-second while chatting; and seriously peeved about the potential cost of repairs, not to mention all the other hassles that go along with being in an accident, like having to rent a car! As your list of reasons to be upset grows, you get one more incredibly aggravating thought: “This accident will cause my car insurance premium to go up!”
Your insurance advisor takes your protection and well-being seriously. It’s their job to get to know you, assess your risks, and make recommendations about what coverages you should add to your policies. Accident Forgiveness is a sound investment for any New England driver. All who qualify should take advantage of this affordable and cost-saving insurance protection.
What is Accident Forgiveness?
Accident Forgiveness rewards your loyalty and your good driving habits. So, if you were to experience the crash scenario outlined above and were found to be the responsible party and at fault, the surcharge points typically assessed by your insurer and added to your annual premium may be waived. Also, with some carriers, the time span of forgiveness is up to six years! Having Accident Forgiveness can bring some welcome relief to an otherwise stressful situation.
How Does Accident Forgiveness Work?
Accident Forgiveness has some complexities that are important to understand:
- For you to keep the insurance surcharge off your policy you need to stay with the same carrier after your crash. If you were to move from one insurer to another, your new insurance carrier will see your at-fault accident and quote your new policy accordingly. Plus, all those points you thought you avoided come right back.
- Another thing to keep in mind is for you to utilize your Accident Forgiveness endorsement you must be the one to report your crash to your insurance carrier. If you let the other party’s insurer inform your carrier, then your Accident Forgiveness will not apply.
- Finally, you can only use Accident Forgiveness once. So, if you or anyone else on your policy, were to be involved in another crash, the coverage cannot be used again until your driving record is clean for another six years.
If you have not spoken to your insurance advisor about this coverage or have not added it to your auto insurance policy, there is no time like the present. Although we know that nobody wants to be involved in a car crash, accidents do happen more frequently than ever due to several factors, including miles-driven and distracted driving. Having the proper car insurance policy in place along with the Accident Forgiveness endorsement can give you peace of mind that you have all bases covered should you be in an accident. This should also help you enjoy your weekend adventures a great deal more!
For more information about Accident Forgiveness, contact our insurance partners today. Our team is always ready to answer your questions, review your policy, and help you make informed decisions about the optimal car insurance for you, your vehicle, and your life.
Giving you coverage on what matters most. As a member of GFA, you don't have to choose between getting the coverage you need or saving money. To have a representative from our insurance partners reach out to you with more information or to provide a quote, please click here.
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