Do you get a forgiveness CREDIT for my first driving offense?

Answer 1

I think what you are referring to is a legal issue, as opposed to an insurance issue. If you receive a traffic citation, the court MAY forgive the ticket under certain circumstances, most frequently, traffic school. Insurance carriers, however, are sharing a financial risk with you and, if your record increases that risk, then certainly, the carrier will raise your rates. Insurance carriers have no reason to 'forgive' an accident. Whether or not your rates increase depend on a number of factors, not simply your own claim experience. For instance, as the cost of automotive repair increases, as the general claims costs rise, so will everyone's insurance rates. People tend to forget, the purpose of insurance is to SHARE the risk, not to assume the entire risk.