Why You Want To Have Car Insurance if You Live In Louisiana

Have you ever wondered why you must have car insurance before you can drive in Louisiana or pretty much any other state?

Car insurance is necessary, of course, in the event you get into a car crash. But in Louisiana, it goes a bit beyond that.

Louisiana’s Laws On Car Insurance

When it comes to insurance claims for car crashes, Louisiana follows the “fault” system. This means that before you can recover damages for injuries or property damage you suffered in a car accident, you must prove that the other driver was “at fault.”

In addition, you need to have car insurance. Louisiana’s compulsory car insurance laws (called “No Pay, No Play”) prevent you from recovering for the first $15,000 of your bodily injury damages and for the first $25,000 of property damage if you don’t have car insurance—even if you were not at fault for the accident.

On top of that, Louisiana law imposes severe penalties for driving without insurance. For example, if you are pulled over by the police and you do not have insurance, the consequences of your first offense will be removal of your license plates, suspension of your registration, and your vehicle may be impounded. The police officer will give you a Temporary Vehicle Use Authorization sticker which allows you to operate your car for three days – just enough time for you to collect your insurance papers to present it to the Office of Motor Vehicles.

If you are caught driving without insurance a second time, the same things will happen, but this time, you will pay a higher price for your noncompliance. If you don’t submit proof of insurance within the allotted time, you will have to pay a fine, a $160.00 reinstatement fee, and vehicle storage fees before your car will be returned to you.

A third violation will result in the immediate loss of your license plates, revocation of your registration, and impoundment of your car.  Penalties for driving without insurance can range from $500-$1,000.

Keep in mind that the car insurance required by the state of Louisiana is the minimum amount of insurance required. You can, of course, purchase more insurance to give you better coverage. The minimum insurance required by statute protects the injured party and the at-fault driver from the cost of being held responsible for an accident.

In a Car Accident? Call us ToDay! 

If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident, call us. We are car accident and personal injury attorneys. We offer FREE consultations and we don’t get paid unless you win your case. We have offices in Baton Rouge, and we serve all of Southern Louisiana.  Call 225-200-0000 ToDay to schedule your free consultation.