Consumers who travel with pets can rest a little easier as Progressive Group of Insurance Companies now includes Pet Injury Coverage at no extra charge along with Collision coverage. 

Indeed, Progressive has gone to the dogs – and cats – by acknowledging the growing number of people who travel with their pets, who incur injuries and expenses in accidents along with their owners. In most states, a Progressive policy with Collision coverage will now cover its customers’ canine and feline four-legged family members.

“Progressive's long history of product and service innovations proves that you can teach an old dog new tricks,” said Geoff Souser, product manager, Progressive. “Providing injury insurance for customers’ pets that they otherwise wouldn’t have is just one example of this.”       The new coverage is included on Progressive’s policies with Collision coverage at no additional cost. It will pay up to $500 if a customer’s dog or cat is hurt or dies as a result of a car accident.

Typically, if a person causes an accident, their car insurance policy provides benefits for pets in the other person’s car, but the person’s own pets are not covered. Progressive is not aware of any other car insurance company that provides this type of first-party coverage for pets.

Progressive’s Pet Injury Insurance is available in 46 states and the District of Columbia; it's not yet available in North Carolina, New Hampshire, New York and Virginia but the company hopes to expand to those states soon.

“Finally,” claims Coco of California, “a car insurance company that gets it.”

Editor's Note : No one's claiming that they are good drivers.