Auto Insurer Adds Pets to Its Coverage: Progressive Gives at-Fault Drivers a New Crash Benefit.

By Mark Glover, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Nov. 7--Progressive Group of Insurance Cos. has gone to the dogs -- and cats, too -- with a new auto policy.

The company has introduced a coverage option that allows customers to insure any canine or feline pets that are injured or killed in a crash.

In a nutshell, the insurer will pay up to $500 if a customer's dog or cat is hurt or dies as a result of a car accident. The coverage is being offered at no extra charge to customers who have standard collision coverage.

Progressive, which is offering the benefit in 46 states. including California, sees it as an innovation that will distinguish its offerings from the competition.

In most cases, if a motorist causes a crash, the auto insurer provides benefits for pets in the other car, but the at-fault motorist's pets are not covered.

Progressive officials are calling their "first-party coverage for pets" an industry first.

Geoff Souser, product manager for Progressive, said the new coverage demonstrated that, even in the sometimes slow-to-change insurance industry, "you can teach an old dog new tricks."

Call (800) 776-4737 or visit www.progressive.com/pets for more details. Progressive, based in Mayfield Village, Ohio, bills itself as the nation's third-largest auto insurance group and the largest seller of motorcycle/personal watercraft policies.

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