WHAT IS MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT FORGIVENESS?

Accident Forgiveness is a feature available with some motorcycle insurance policies. With this benefit, your insurer will not apply a surcharge to your premium after your first at-fault insurance incident.

To be eligible, your policy needs to be in effect for twelve months with no prior at fault accidents during the preceding 36 months.

Eligibility requirements differ by insurer and state, however, at Harley-Davidson Insurance Services, we believe in giving riders a break. Our base policies in most states include Accident Forgiveness. Here’s how it works:

• Policy must be in place at least 12 months before an accident can be forgiven (at next renewal)

• There are no other waived accidents on the policy for that policy term

Even if you rate your riding skills highly, you should not rule out the benefits of a policy with Accident Forgiveness. You may be involved in an incident that is only partly your fault, yet you still may have to bear the brunt of what's happened from a financial perspective.

Plus, even the best motorcycle riders have had bad moments on the road.

If you have a policy with Accident Forgiveness, your first at-fault motorcycle accident may not result in a surcharge when the time comes to renew.

However, this benefit is not applicable until you've had an 'accident-free' period of time. This means all subsequent accidents could impact your insurance premium. So, keep this in mind:

• The incident will still be recorded in your claims history (CLUE report) and could affect underwriting decisions with other insurers.

• This benefit does not apply until you meet your carrier’s required “incident-free” period.

• Subsequent incidents can still result in premium surcharges.

Think of it as a one-time buffer, not a long-term shield against future rate increases. It gives you a bit of breathing space if you do find yourself caught up in an incident. However, it certainly does not excuse poor riding or give you a way out of all further mishaps in the future.

There are some exceptions to accident forgiveness.

• If you have a history of insurance claims, especially at-fault ones, it may be that you only qualify once you've built up to a period of accident-free riding.

• Some states (like California) limit or prohibit the use of forgiveness programs entirely.

• Carrier rules may vary, and the benefit may not be available on all policy types or underwriters.

If you want to learn more about Harley-Davidson^® Insurance's motorcycle Accident Forgiveness, as well as the insurance rates we offer, please do not hesitate to contact one of our licensed agents.

We're happy to answer any questions you have!