The Ins and Outs of Accident Forgiveness

You’ve seen the TV commercials with actors hired by major insurance carriers talking about Accident Forgiveness, and how this coverage will save you money if you get into a car crash. But what exactly is this additional endorsement, how do you find out if you can have it added to your policy, and how much does it cost?

As your local insurance professionals, ABM is happy to breakdown Accident Forgiveness for you and give you an easy to understand synopsis of the coverage.

What is Accident Forgiveness

Accident forgiveness is an endorsement that certain eligible drivers can add to their car insurance policy. With this endorsement, if you were to get into a car accident while diving your kids to Cushing Academy in Ashburnham or yourself to work in Worcester, MA, your insurance company shouldn’t penalize you and raise your rates. If you don’t have accident forgiveness in Massachusetts and get into an accident, you could face increased insurance premiums for the next six years.

Do you qualify for an accident forgiveness endorsement?

Not every driver qualifies for this money-saving endorsement. You will likely not qualify for accident forgiveness if:

• You have been in several accidents.
• You are a new driver. You must have at least six years of driving experience to qualify.

Other things to know about Accident Forgiveness in Massachusetts

If you qualify for accident forgiveness in Massachusetts and choose to use it, it is important to note a few things:

• If you have a crash and you are at fault, you must immediately contact your insurance carrier or agent after the accident to report it. If a third party contacts the carrier, accident forgiveness will not apply.
• The accident will still be on your driving record and a new insurance carrier will calculate these points into a quote when applying for a new policy. Which means you will save money if you stay with your existing carrier.
• Only one accident per policy will be forgiven for qualified drivers during the company designated experience period regardless of the number of drivers insured under the policy.
• This is a one and done endorsement. Once you choose to use accident forgiveness, you cannot access this coverage for any other accident until your driving record is cleared again, likely after six years.
• You can’t afford to NOT add it to your policy. Accident forgiveness is pretty reasonably priced. For around $50 a year, you can have the peace of mind that you can save money on your auto insurance premium in the event you are in a crash.

Accidents happen, but with the proper car insurance coverage, you can have peace of mind in knowing you are protected. If you are looking for more information about a new or existing car insurance policy, an ABM insurance agent is happy to help. Contact us at one of our four convenient Massachusetts locations at (978) 534-2800 (Leominster), (978) 632-1098 (Gardner), (978) 874-2921 (Westminster), (978) 464-5857 (Princeton) to request a free quote.