Progressive Launches Car Insurance for Four-Legged Friends

Do you have a dog or cat?  If you do, you may like a new offering from Progressive Insurance which covers vet expenses for cats or dogs injured in an accident while riding in their owner’s vehicle, in yet another new twist on auto insurance.

Now the “pet provision” is available in 46 states and Washington D.C. at no extra charge.  Progressive Insurance will pay up to $500 towards vet bills, with the “usual and customary” requirement of course, but only on dogs and cats.  This won’t work on gerbils, birds, or pet iguanas. 

Why are they doing this?  Progressive is looking for one more reason to get your business in the highly competitive auto insurance business. They will require customers to carry collision coverage and file a claim for damage before a payout will be issued on hurt critters. 

Until now, if your dog or cat was injured in a crash that wasn’t your fault, the other guy’s property damage liability coverage would pay, because pets are considered property.  But if you were the cause of the accident, you were just out of luck.

We have two Siberian Huskies who love to ride in our SUV, with their heads hanging out the window of course.  We don’t have Progressive right now, but when renewal time comes, that will be one of the companies we’ll ask for a free auto insurance quote.  Yes, we price our auto insurance rates every year, just to make sure we’re getting a great deal and prevent our agent from getting complacent.  Don’t you?