Some insurance companies sell “accident forgiveness,” an add-on to your policy that keeps your rates from going up after your first at-fault accident. There might be a limit on the claim amount that would be forgiven. In other words, if the accident you caused were major, with a large payout from the insurance company, it might not be overlooked when the next premium period rolled around.
Before agreeing to the coverage, read the fine print—it may not be worth the extra cost.
“Accident forgiveness” might not be available to you unless you have a clean driving record and no claims and/or have been a policyholder with the insurance company for a certain number of years. (Some companies offer “accident forgiveness” at no charge to long-term policyholders with a clean record.) (See the section Managing auto insurance costs for information that can help you decide whether “accident forgiveness” is worth purchasing.)
