Why Short Term Car Insurance is Like an Ex-Girlfriend

I travel a lot for work, and because of that I’ve rented cars in almost every state in the country. Seriously, sometimes it feels like I spend half my life standing at various rental counters. Again and again I’m faced with the decision whether to buy short term car insurance, and it always freezes me up. For a long time I didn’t get why. I mean, either you want it or you don’t, right? Well, it finally hit me last week why I have so much trouble with the car insurance dilemma – short term car insurance is just like an ex-girlfriend. No, I’m not crazy. Just a guy who spends too much time wondering if I really need collision AND theft. Hear me out on this. Much like dealing with an ex-girlfriend, with short term car insurance:

You’re never sure what to do when confronted with it.

Ever run into an ex-girlfriend on the street. Awkward, isn’t it? That sense of not being sure what to say or how to act is exactly how I feel when I’m asked if I want short term insurance. It’s like my brain freezes up. On the one hand, it doesn’t cost that much and it would protect me in the event of an accident or a theft, but on the other hand the chances of that happening are pretty slim and I would likely be wasting the money. That confused look on my face is probably the same one you’ll see when I’m having a stuttering conversation about Wendy’s new boyfriend in front of the DMV.

You make excuses why you’re better off without it.

Even if we’re heartbroken, guys love to pretend that losing the girl is the best thing that every happened to them. We know its not true, but it makes us feel better to think that our newly single status means that we’re going to start dating supermodels or climbing Everest or something. I’m always reminded of this when I’m standing in line at the rental agency, convincing myself how safe of a driver I am and how much money I’ll save when I skip the insurance. Sure, my conscience is telling me that only an idiot would drive without any insurance, but I try my best to pretend I don’t know that.

You only care when its too late.

This is true for many situations in my life. Why do I only buy flowers and profess my love after she’s gone? Maybe because I tend not to pay attention to a lot of things until I absolutely have to. Friends are always wondering why I get so broken up after breaking up, when I barely paid her any attention when we were together. I don’t know why, but it does help me understand why I turn into Mr. Temporary Car Insurance only when I’m standing in front of my damaged rental car. Sure, I was laughing at the rental guy two hours ago, but suddenly it doesn’t seem so funny for some reason.

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