No Required Insurance? Say Goodbye to Your Car.

Drivers in Louisiana may have a new reason to make sure they keep their insurance coverage current.

Having the required insurance coverage on your car keeps the tow truck away.

Each state in the nation has their own set of required insurance laws and also different penalties for those that chose to drive without insurance. There are some state penalties that are nothing more than a slap on the hand, while other states will go so far as to throw you in jail.

Currently in the state of Louisiana, a new bill (HB 1053) has been proposed to make the penalty for having no insurance much stiffer than it already is there. If passed, it may have repercussions across the nation if it works to cut down the number of uninsured drivers.

How HB 1053 Affects Required Insurance Laws?

In the state of Louisiana, bill HB 1053 will change the current penalties for people that are caught driving without the required insurance.

Currently, police officers are only allowed to have a vehicle towed after a person has been caught two or more times without the required insurance. HB 1053 allows police officers to tow a vehicle the first time a driver is caught without insurance now.

So, if you are a driver in Louisiana, I would recommend that you get the minimum required insurance on your vehicle. Because if this passes and is put into law, you won’t only have to pay towing and recovery fees on top of all the other fines you will have for driving with no insurance, you will also be walking home.

For drivers in other states, I would watch this one carefully. If this works like the Louisiana State Police thinks it will and it cuts down on the number of uninsured motorists, I wouldn’t be surprise if other states tried to pass the same type of law.

Anyone needing the required insurance in their state, but doesn’t have any at the moment; can always find quick insurance quotes here at Car Insurance Guidebook. It will cost you less money in the long run to just purchase the required insurance. If you get caught without it, not only are you going to have to pay fines now, you will also have to get the insurance anyway.

Where is HB 1053 Now?

The bill HB 1053 has already been passed through the Louisiana House of Representatives with a vote of 82-7. It had the same success in the middle of May in the Louisiana Senate, with a vote of 28-3.

At the time of writing this, the bill is just awaiting for the final approval from Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.

Does HB 1053 Mean Everyone Will be Towed?

No, not everyone will be towed if HB 1053 is made into a law. Police officers will be allowed to grant exceptions in the case of children 13 and under being in the car, if there is an “imminent danger to the public present” (if the vehicle were to be towed) or if there are elderly passengers in the vehicle.

Also, a second bill is working its way through both the Louisiana House and Senate that would spare people that really do have insurance, but just don’t have their proof of insurance card with them. This same bill would allow police to accept electronic forms of required insurance proof (from cell phones, iPads, etc.) at the time of the traffic stop.