Progressive Corporation (PGR)

GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING PROXY MATERIALS AND THE ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON APRIL 24, 2009

The Board of Directors of The Progressive Corporation (NYSE:PGR) provides this Proxy Statement to you to solicit your proxy to act upon the matters outlined in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders. These include the election of four nominees as directors, the approval of amendments to our Code of Regulations, and the ratification of the appointment of Progressive’s independent registered public accounting firm for 2009, each described in more detail below.

The Annual Meeting will take place on Friday, April 24, 2009 at 10:00 a.m., local time, at 6671 Beta Drive, Mayfield Village, Ohio 44143. The proxies also may be voted at any adjournment or postponement of the meeting.

The form of proxy (proxy card), this Proxy Statement, and Progressive’s 2008 Annual Report to Shareholders are being mailed to shareholders beginning on or about March 16, 2009.

All properly executed written proxies, and all proxies that are properly completed and submitted over the Internet or by telephone, will be voted at the meeting in accordance with the directions given by the shareholder, unless the shareholder properly revokes his or her proxy before voting occurs at the meeting.

Only shareholders of record of The Progressive Corporation at the close of business on February 27, 2009, the record date, will be entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the meeting or any adjournment thereof. Each shareholder on the record date is entitled to one vote for each of our Common Shares, $1.00 par value, held. On the record date, there were 676,721,994 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding.