Our Good Earth
June 21, 2016
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June 23, 2016
Those hitting the roads in Louisiana are in one of the least enviable spots in the country, according to a survey.
The website carinsurance.com conducted a survey, ranking the nation’s best and worst states for driving. The survey had Louisiana ranked third worst, ahead of only Oklahoma and California.
The survey rated each state on its car insurance costs, road conditions, car repair costs due to those conditions and commuter delays among other criteria to determine the rankings. Though Louisiana received low marks in many categories, its high insurance costs in relation to the state’s median income was the primary anchor dragging down its survey ranking.
According to Michelle Megna, editor of the website, Louisiana had a $2,819 average auto insurance rate, which amounts to 6.65 percent of the state’s median annual income of $42,406. Only Michigan, at 6.8 percent, had a higher percentage of income going toward car insurance.
Megna said many factors play into a state’s car insurance rates, including a lack of uninsured drivers and the amount of claims in a state. However, Louisiana had only the 35th-highest rate of uninsured drivers at 13.9 percent. Issues specific to the state, such as a low overall credit score and Louisiana’s penchant for lawsuits, could be factors driving up its insurance costs.
Leo Ledet, president of Ledet Insurance in Houma, agreed that Louisiana’s litigious nature could drive up prices. As far as concerns about Louisiana drivers driving up the costs, Ledet said, in his opinion, he has not seen any stark differences here.
“Everywhere, you’re going to find bad drivers – speeders, aggressive drivers, things like that. I don’t think the drivers are any much worse or better than other states,” he said.
While the insurance costs produced Louisiana’s worst ranking, other categories did not do much to help the state’s standing. The state was ranked 40th in terms of road conditions, as 62 percent of its roads were deemed to be in poor or mediocre condition. With 29 percent of its bridges deemed structurally deficient, Louisiana was 37th-best. Louisiana was also in the top 10 in terms of traffic fatalities, with 15.9 per 100,000 people, although it was a far-cry from Wyoming’s nation-worst 25.7 mark. According to Ledet, a local concern for fatalities and overall car insurance risk comes from roads along the bayous with no shoulders.
“Along the bayous, if somebody has an incident where they have to dodge an animal or dodge a car, the bayou’s right there. They can actually go into a bayou,” he said.
Ledet believes the state could improve its conditions through continued road improvements, noting Terrebonne Parish’s ramped-up focus in that area over the last decade. In the survey, Louisiana did receive high marks for its low price of gas, coming in 7th-lowest at $1.86 per gallon. However, Ledet said both Louisiana and the Bayou Region have a long way to go to improve on its driving and subsequent auto insurance conditions.
“New Orleans is probably, I can tell you, one of the highest insurance rates in the nation. Houma’s not that high, but it’s not too far behind. So, compared to the nation, we’re probably pretty expensive in terms of rate,” he said. •
