Louisiana Auto Insurance

Louisiana operates as a tort state with regard to auto insurance laws. This means that drivers are held responsible for damages, whether medical or property related, occurring from an accident. In a tort state, the police will generally determine the wrongful driver and force him or her to pay for any expenses occurring from an accident.

If these expenses extend beyond the driver's insurance coverage, they may be held responsible for the additional damages. If they don't pay, they can even be held accountable in a court of law.

Louisiana Auto Insurance Rules and Regulations

Louisiana requires minimum liability coverage to protect other drivers in the case of an accident. The minimums for Louisiana auto insurance liability are relatively low at 10/20/10. This means that a driver who is at fault in an accident must have coverage that will pay $10,000 per person involved, $20,000 for all people involved, and $10,000 for property damages.

Since these minimum liability coverage levels are low, it is advisable to increase them because damages in an accident will frequently exceed these levels. As mentioned above, the at-fault driver will be responsible to pay for any additional damages.

Louisiana auto insurance providers will also offer drivers collision, comprehensive, and uninsured motorist protection in addition to basic liability coverage. Drivers should consider these options as well, as they will help protect their assets in the event of an accident.

Louisiana Auto Insurance Rates

When we review how Louisiana fairs as compared to the rest of the country, we see that the average cost for insurance in a recent survey was $1,013.93. This made Louisiana auto insurance the 6th most expensive in the country when compared to the other states. Other figures in that study show that on average Louisianans paid $609.93 for liability coverage, $355.95 for collision coverage, and $207.95 for comprehensive coverage. Additionally, Louisiana auto insurance premiums have increased significantly over the past five years, with an overall surge of nearly 30%.

So why is Louisiana auto insurance so expensive? Insurance companies figure individual premiums by calculating the cost to insure the entire state, including legal fees like lawsuits, then they factor in individual variables. The individual variables they use are age, location, type of car driven, marital status, and driving record. Once they have these figured, they determine the slice of the overall expense for the state on a per driver basis.

Many elements of your car insurance premium calculation are under your control. You can help lower your rates by:

• Keeping a clean driving record
• Taking voluntary driver's education courses
• Maintaining good credit
• Selecting an automobile with added safety features
• Have security features like an alarm or kill switch installed in your vehicle

Louisiana Auto Insurance Companies

Some property and casualty insurance companies in Louisian have threatened to stop providing coverage following the enormous expenses incurred following the Hurricane Katrina disaster in 2005. However, there are still many top-rated insurers operating in the state, so you should compare rates to make sure you're not overpaying.

Additional Insurance Information and Resources

Louisiana Department of Insurance
Post Office Box 94214
Baton Rouge, LA 70804

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For other Louisiana Insurance Resources, See:

• Louisiana Health Insurance
• Louisiana Home Insurance

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