Baton Rouge Car Insurance

When you are shopping for Baton Rouge car insurance, what is the minimum amount of car insurance required? Although the requirements aren’t strict at all, knowing them will provide you a “base” from which to make your decisions. For the state of the Louisiana you are required to have liability coverage in the form of 10/20/10 (this is the format in which you will see the numbers when you are shopping for auto insurance. The aforementioned three numbers translate into the following car insurance minimum requirements for the capital of Louisiana:

You must have at least $10,000 worth of bodily injury liability for one person. This type of liability covers the medical expenses and lost wages of the other party.

You must have at least $20,000 worth of bodily injury liability for all people involved in an accident.

You must have at least $10,000 worth of property damage liability for property damage. This would cover other cars on the road as well as stationary objects such as bus shelters or telephone polls.

Your liability coverage only kicks in when you are found to be at-fault in an accident. Although these numbers are the minimum, it is almost a rule that you should go above the minimum liability. Just looking at property damage liability alone, most cars on the road are worth more than $10,000. If your liability coverage can’t pay for all the damage then your assets are at risk and you have a chance of being sued. How much should you go above the minimum?

"The Insurance Information Institute (III) recommends you carry $100,000 of bodily injury protection per person and $300,000 per accident. Other insurance industry experts also recommend buying a minimum of $50,000 in property damage liability coverage."--According to insure.com.

Aside from liability coverage, what other types of insurance should you consider when shopping for car insurance Baton Rouge LA ?

Collision insurance: Covers damage done to your car regardless of whose fault the accident was. Almost always required when you finance or lease your vehicle. It is useful to have despite the fact that everyone else is legally supposed to have liability insurance, which would pay you if you are not at fault in an accident. Sometimes there are disputes between who is at fault, which can put your car repairs on hold. However, if you have collision insurance, your car will be repaired no matter whose fault the accident was.

Comprehensive insurance: Covers damage from any damage not caused by a collision. This would include things such as weather, theft, or collisions with wildlife. Usually required when you finance or lease your car.

Uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage: Covers the medical expenses and lost wages in case the guilty party who caused the accident has either no liability coverage or not enough liability coverage to pay you.

Uninsured/underinsured motorist property damage: Protects your car in the event that the guilty party has either no liability insurance or not enough liability insurance. This type of insurance comes standard with uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage and not available if you already have collision insurance.

Medical payments coverage: In some states, this is know as Personal Injury Protection. It covers you and those affiliated with your policy by paying medical payments in case you or anyone under your policy is injured. Such coverage may not be necessary if you and those covered under your policy already have adequate health insurance.

GAP (Guaranteed Auto Protection): Covered in depth in Bakersfield Car Insurance: Some Tips.


Extra tips:

In the consumer section of “The Louisiana Department of Insurance” website, which can be found at ldi.la.gov, there is an auto rate comparison guide for the year of 2007 which will give you an idea of what rates to expect when getting Baton Rouge car insurance quotes.

Before you purchase a quote it is best to shop around for your policy. Get quotes from several companies and ask about discounts, which you might be eligible for (check out Auto Insurance Discounters: Your Are Your Own Discounters for a list of discounts for which you may be eligible). If you use one of the comparison sites to get a low quote, keep in mind that they don’t take into account all of the discounts you might be eligible for. It’s always beest to talk to each insurance company directly. Once you get a quote online, to be 100% sure that you’re getting a good deal, talk to one of your local independent car insurance agents who can compare quote from multiple companies, cater more to your individual needs, and perhaps beat the quote you found online. Generally, an agent is independent if they have a business name which you’ve never heard of before. If they have a name such as “Geico” or “Allstate” within their business name they can only give you insurance from that one company.

When shopping for car insurance in Baton Rouge LA the key is to not stop at your first quote and ask about any discounts which you might by eligible for.

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