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Louisianans have found themselves on the wrong end of yet another list.
We aren’t any worse drivers than motorists in other states, but we are paying much more for our car insurance.
In fact, according to Insure.com’s recent report, our insurance rates are the second-highest in the nation.
Michigan, at $2,394 per year on average, is the highest. But we aren’t far behind, paying an average of $1,921 every year to insure our cars, drivers and passengers.
That is a lot of money, of course.
But some of the factors that make our insurance so expensive are completely preventable.
The study cites the high number of uninsured drivers, the all-too-common phenomenon of distracted driving and our cheap gasoline as reasons our insurance costs us so much.
According to the website, about 14 percent of Louisiana’s drivers carry no insurance. That means those of us who do purchase insurance have to pick up the cost for those who don’t.
It’s not fair, but the fact is that if everyone had insurance, it wouldn’t be as expensive as it is.
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said another big factor in the cost is the prevalence of lawsuits over even minor traffic crashes.
The cost of defending those lawsuits is passed directly to the insurance company’s customers through higher rates.
The biggest danger that comes from distracted driving is that a person can injure or kill himself or herself, the passengers or other motorists.
But along with the obvious dangers comes a secondary effect: higher insurance costs.
If we could somehow change habits and minds about talking on the phone and texting while driving, we could make a dent in our high insurance rates.
The Louisiana Highways Safety Commission has some sobering numbers: From 2011-15, distracted driving took a toll of 192 deaths and 27,000 injuries.
Those are numbers that should get our attention and cause us to keep it where it should be when we’re behind the wheel: on the road.
Driving is dangerous and uncertain under even the best circumstances. When we divide our attention between driving and whatever is happening on our phones, we increase our chances of becoming one of the statistics.
And, as a byproduct, we help force the cost of insurance ever higher.
Auto insurance is an unpleasant price we pay for driving. But we don’t have to pay as much as we do. We should try to embrace the habits that will help all of us be safer behind the wheel — and pay less for our coverage.
Editorials represent the opinion of the newspaper, not of any individual.
We aren’t any worse drivers than motorists in other states, but we are paying much more for our car insurance.
In fact, according to Insure.com’s recent report, our insurance rates are the second-highest in the nation.
Michigan, at $2,394 per year on average, is the highest. But we aren’t far behind, paying an average of $1,921 every year to insure our cars, drivers and passengers.
That is a lot of money, of course.
But some of the factors that make our insurance so expensive are completely preventable.
The study cites the high number of uninsured drivers, the all-too-common phenomenon of distracted driving and our cheap gasoline as reasons our insurance costs us so much.
According to the website, about 14 percent of Louisiana’s drivers carry no insurance. That means those of us who do purchase insurance have to pick up the cost for those who don’t.
It’s not fair, but the fact is that if everyone had insurance, it wouldn’t be as expensive as it is.
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said another big factor in the cost is the prevalence of lawsuits over even minor traffic crashes.
The cost of defending those lawsuits is passed directly to the insurance company’s customers through higher rates.
The biggest danger that comes from distracted driving is that a person can injure or kill himself or herself, the passengers or other motorists.
But along with the obvious dangers comes a secondary effect: higher insurance costs.
If we could somehow change habits and minds about talking on the phone and texting while driving, we could make a dent in our high insurance rates.
The Louisiana Highways Safety Commission has some sobering numbers: From 2011-15, distracted driving took a toll of 192 deaths and 27,000 injuries.
Those are numbers that should get our attention and cause us to keep it where it should be when we’re behind the wheel: on the road.
Driving is dangerous and uncertain under even the best circumstances. When we divide our attention between driving and whatever is happening on our phones, we increase our chances of becoming one of the statistics.
And, as a byproduct, we help force the cost of insurance ever higher.
Auto insurance is an unpleasant price we pay for driving. But we don’t have to pay as much as we do. We should try to embrace the habits that will help all of us be safer behind the wheel — and pay less for our coverage.
Editorials represent the opinion of the newspaper, not of any individual.
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