Accidents happen when you least expect them — especially in bad weather. That’s exactly what happened to Jennifer and her daughter on a stormy winter night. But thanks to Good Driver Mutuality (GDM), they found a better and more efficient way to handle car repairs.

A Rough Night on the Road

It was a brutal winter evening in January when Jennifer’s daughter was driving home. The roads were slick with ice, and like many others that night, she lost control and slammed into a curb. The impact knocked the car out of alignment, but since she was only a few blocks from home, she managed to drive back, assuming the roads were just slippery and everything else was fine.

The next day, Jennifer drove out to take care of some errands. As she pulled out of the driveway, she immediately felt something was off. The roads were still snowy, but even on dry pavement, the car had terrible traction. She could barely keep it straight, realizing she had to turn the steering wheel all the way to the left just to go straight. That’s when she knew the damage was serious.

She barely made it three miles before calling her daughter. “Did something happen to the car last night? The car’s barely drivable.” Her daughter recalled the night’s events. The car had been damaged and needed repairs. But she was relieved. At least they’d caught it early — getting it fixed now would save them from bigger problems later.

How Good Driver Mutuality Stepped In

Jennifer started calling around to repair shops and found out that repairs were going to be at least $1,000 based on initial assessment. She sighed, then she remembered Good Driver Mutuality.

She’d joined the GDM mutuality program a few months earlier, intrigued by its model: GDM is not insurance, it works like a community, where good drivers help each other out. Members chip in small amounts to help cover repair costs for each other when accidents happen. But now that she actually needed help, she was hesitant.

"I felt a little guilty," Jennifer admitted. "But that's the whole point of GDM. I had already been helping other members share the costs of their incidents through weekly sharing. Now, with this unexpected event, I was the one who needed assistance."

She hesitated before opening the GDM app. Would it really be that simple? She reported accident, expecting a long wait. Instead, within 30 minutes — maybe less — her phone buzzed. It was Javier, her GDM Mutuality Advisor.

Javier gathered the details, confirmed that the damage met mutuality service eligibility, and coordinated everything with a GDM-partnered repair shop.  GDM works with over 5,000 repair shops nationwide — each one guaranteeing their work for life.

Since the car wasn’t drivable, they arranged a tow directly to the repair shop. "That was such a relief," Jennifer said. "I didn’t have to move the car again or figure out how to get it there myself."

A professional damage assessment confirmed that the front suspension, steering gear, and other parts had sustained varying degrees of damage.

Throughout the repair process, Javier kept her updated every few days, letting her know where the car was in the queue and when it would likely be ready.

"Javier was always responsive and patient with my questions, and the whole process felt personalized," Jennifer said. "With my old insurance company, when I had an accident a few months ago, they just totaled my car and it wasn’t personalized. I had no say in it. With GDM, I was involved every step of the way. Even being able to text Javier made everything easier, and I could track each stage of the repair directly in the GDM app. That transparency gave me peace of mind. I love how GDM and its community have supported me.”

From Contributor to Recipient: A Community That Cares

Jennifer had been skeptical when she first signed up for GDM. She was concerned the cost of the contributions through the weekly sharing would be too much, especially when she was between jobs, because every dollar counted. In reality, GDM weekly contributions were so minimal, she barely noticed them — just a few bucks here and there, like skipping a Starbucks coffee. When she needed help, the community stepped up. 

Her total repair bill came to $1,692.95. After factoring in her out-of-pocket amount and remaining pledge balance, the rest — about $772 — was covered by fellow GDM members through weekly sharing. Jennifer elaborated, "I’ve chipped in small amounts to help others. And now, when I needed it most, others helped me. It’s an incredible feeling. I decided to enroll my second car and made sure my friends knew about GDM too. Such an amazing community."

Looking Ahead: Safer Roads & Stronger Communities

GDM is all about responsible driving, community support, and making sure good drivers are taken care of after an accident.

As more members join, Good Driver Mutuality will continue delivering exceptional service, promoting safe driving, and helping every member safeguard their vehicle, their finances, and their peace of mind.

Jennifer’s story is just one of many. What will yours be?