Accident Forgiveness

Accident Forgiveness for Southeastern MA & South Coast MA Drivers

With so many different car insurance endorsements available to you, Morse, of course, wants to help make sure you choose the ones that best fit your driving behaviors, vehicles, and budget. Sometimes, though, there’s a coverage option that makes so much sense, we recommend it to virtually all of our clients. Accident Forgiveness is that type of endorsement because it may help you keep money in your wallet (where it belongs) if you’re involved in an at-fault accident while driving around Southeastern Massachusetts, on the Cape, or anywhere the road might take you.

How does Accident Forgiveness work?

To understand the true power of the Accident Forgiveness endorsement, it’s important to first understand how an at-fault accident may impact your car insurance.

If you’re involved in a crash and found to be the responsible party, there is a very real possibility your insurance premium will increase at annual renewal time. Your insurance carrier generally looks at several factors before deciding whether to increase your rates, including your previous driving record; the circumstances that caused the accident, such as weather and road conditions; and the severity of the incident. Regardless of what they uncover, though, you’re more likely to see a rise in your premium after being involved in an at-fault car accident.

However, if your insurer reviews your car insurance policy and sees that you have Accident Forgiveness, that may be a true game-changer. With this additional endorsement in place, your premium typically is not affected by an at-fault accident and you may not have to worry about paying more for your insurance post-crash.

This all sounds great, right? But before you sign up for this auto insurance add-on, here are four more things Morse thinks you should know about Accident Forgiveness:

1. You must stay with your current carrier to avoid a premium increase.
   Even though your insurance carrier may not factor the accident into your premium, the accident is still reported. Therefore, the crash and any related claims will be listed on your driving record for the next six years for any new provider to see. So, if you were to try to switch to another carrier after the accident, their quoted premium would include the at-fault accident that was originally “forgiven”.
2. To receive the full benefit of Accident Forgiveness, you must report the car accident to your insurance provider before anyone else does.
   It’s critical that you’re the first one to report the accident to your insurance carrier. If you delay in doing so and another driver’s insurance provider contacts your carrier before you do, the coverage this endorsement provides might be considered null and void. With Accident Forgiveness, it pays to cut right to the chase with your agent.
3. Accident Forgiveness is generally available only to drivers with clean driving records, and most carriers require that a driver have at least six years of driving experience.
   To be eligible for Accident Forgiveness, insurance companies typically require drivers to meet specific criteria, including having (a) no reported accidents over a period of time, usually the past three to five years; (b) minimal to no speeding tickets and/or traffic violations over a period of time, usually the past three to five years; and, for most carriers, (c) at least six years of experience behind the wheel. If you qualify for this endorsement, it doesn’t mean everyone listed as a dependent on your policy will be covered by it. For example, if your spouse or teenager does not have a clean driving record, they probably won’t be able to benefit from this endorsement.
4. Accident Forgiveness is considered a one-hit wonder.
   This means that if you’re in an at-fault accident and have elected to use Accident Forgiveness to ensure your premium does not go up, you typically cannot use this coverage again until your driving record has been clean for another six years. So, if you or anyone else listed on your policy (like the aforementioned spouse or teen driver) is involved in a second at-fault collision before that period has passed, you will not be able to elect to use this coverage to avoid a premium increase at renewal time.

At the end of the day, including Accident Forgiveness in your car insurance coverage may be a very smart investment for most Massachusetts’ drivers because it’s usually a great way to relieve some of the financial stress of an accident. Of course, at Morse, we hope you and your family members can avoid accidents altogether, which is why we regularly share important information, such as driving safety tips for teens and insights for more experienced drivers, on our blog.

If you have any additional questions about Accident Forgiveness or want to find out if you’re eligible for this optional coverage, please give Morse a call or feel free to drive on over for a face-to-face chat at one of our four convenient locations. We will be happy to assist you with your car, home, and other personal insurance needs and hopefully help you discover more money-saving insurance options you might be missing out on, including Bundle and Save, Disappearing Deductible, and Loan/Lease Gap.