Getting insurance coverage for your vehicle is a lot like gambling. It's all a matter of risk versus reward. Obviously, things like liability coverage are worth getting covered, as a single accident could cost you more money than you could imagine, should the unthinkable happen and someone gets hurt as a result of your driving.
Other parts of your policy, like the deductable you agree to, depend on how many claims you think you will process versus the additional costs every month - which will add up to more? But there is one area of automobile insurance that a lot of people will agree is simply not worth the gamble, and that is automobile glass coverage.
If you own a car, you have probably had, at the very least, some sort of rock chip in your windshield. You will be driving down the road, and the car ahead of you will hit a patch of gravel, and whack! That horribly loud and sickening sound of stone meeting glass. Your eyes will instinctively find the impact spot, and sure enough, there's a chip.
If you're lucky, it will remain just a chip, and you can get it filled cheaply, and protect the rest of the windshield. Unfortunately, there are times when that chip will quickly turn into a crack, and before you know it, there is enough damage to your windshield to warrant a replacement.
Proponents of windshield coverage will tell you that the safety of your car is jeopardized with a compromised windshield, and that coverage will make it easier to have it replaced.
But unless you live in an area with a great deal of gravel on the roads, and plan on replacing that windshield on a nearly annual basis, it simply is not worth the cost. Not to mention, the deductable on the glass will sometimes be so much that you could nearly replace the glass somewhere else for that amount alone. The key here is to do the math - if you have expensive-to-replace glass or live in a chip-heavy area, it might be worth it. Otherwise, steer clear.
