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Hurricanes and Auto Insurance in New Orleans


By: Kade Phillips, contributing writer at kanetix.com.

The devastating storms of 2005 sure caused a lot of auto insurance claims for damaged and destroyed vehicles in New Orleans, as well as other areas of Louisiana that were in the path of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. But, so far, indications are that auto insurance rates for New Orleans will remain relatively stable going forward.

Over 200,000 auto insurance claims were made by Louisiana residents following the unprecedented carnage brought on by Katrina, and it would be automatic to think that a rise in car insurance for New Orleans area residents was sure to follow.

However, comments from several auto insurance insiders have indicated that this is not necessarily the case, and that the price of any particular driver’s car insurance is still determined pretty much by the same variables that determined them before the storms.

Comprehensive car insurance (The kind of insurance that deals with damage to your vehicle) may be affected somewhat, but for the most part, your driving history, is still the major determinant of what you are going to pay for your car insurance in New Orleans, and not the fact that hurricanes Rita and Katrina caused so much damage to vehicles.

It’s not surprising though, that many New Orleans motorists are choosing to increase the comprehensive insurance on their vehicles if they can afford to do so, because so many found out after the storms that they had inadequate comprehensive coverage, and were forced to cover these costs out of their own pockets.

Interestingly, Louisiana does have more costly auto insurance rates then most of the other states, but this has far more to do with general Louisiana driving habits then the hurricanes that batter her shores from time to time.

Louisiana has an auto accident rate that is about one-third higher than the rate in other states with the same number of drivers.

Contributing factors to this higher accident rate are:
Other contributing factors to higher New Orleans car insurance premiums are:
Generally, auto insurance rates tend to reflect what’s actually happening to vehicles on the roads and in the neighborhoods of any given area.

If drivers in a certain area tend to have more accidents or more vehicles are stolen in a particular area, car insurance rates will surely reflect that.

There’s no question that weather conditions do influence road safety, and in an area like New Orleans, you would be well advised to go through each aspect of your car insurance policy to make sure that it adequately reflects your unique situation. But, rather than being overly concerned about freak events like hurricane Katrina, you would likely be far better off to concern yourself with your own driving habits, and with paying close attention to the vehicles, traffic laws, and the road conditions around you as you drive.

Nationwide, a lack of attention while driving is one of the leading causes of death, injury and property damage. It’s also one of the leading causes of higher automobile insurance rates. It’s relatively easy to change this if we all start to take our driving a lot more seriously, and see it for what it truly is - one of the most dangerous activities that we do on a regular basis.

Being the safest driver you can possibly be is the surest way to way to avoid personal tragedy on the roads, and to keep your car insurance rates in New Orleans as low as possible over the long term, regardless of what Mother Nature throws at us in the future.


Kade Phillips is a contributing writer at kanetix.com,
Serving New Orleans car insurance quotes / Auto insurance quotes New Orleans.
For the Car Insurance New Orleans Needs, visit kanetix for Free Quotes


Disclaimer - The above description/explanation is intended as a guideline only, and is not to be interpreted as a recommendation to buy or sell any insurance products, or to provide legal or financial advice of any kind. Also, Kanetix Ltd. does not warrant or assume any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed.

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