Do you know how to find the cheapest Louisiana car insurance rates? You may be surprised that where you live can impact what you pay for your car insurance. Factors like fatality statistics, crime and theft rates, and even the weather can have an influence on your premiums. All things considered, if you compare LA auto insurance rates from several different insurance companies you can make sure you are paying the least amount possible for your coverage for the area where you live.

Louisiana has a population of 4,410,796 people. Originally a French colony, it became a state when it was sold to the United States in 1803. Its capitol is Baton Rouge and its largest city is New Orleans. It does not have counties as do most other states, but is divided up into parishes instead.

Louisiana’s economy is built largely around seafood, cotton, soybean, cattle, sugarcane, eggs, poultry, dairy, and Tabasco sauce. The economy also includes petroleum, coal and shipping industries. A film studio and film training institute are recent additions to the economy of Louisiana. The annual per capita income of a Louisiana resident is $30,952. This means that, for many, affording insurance can be a challenge.

Louisiana Car Insurance and Traffic Fatalities

Last year, Louisiana reported 913 people killed in traffic accidents. This was down 8.2% from the previous year. However, even though their fatality rate has improved slightly we are still ranked the 12th highest state in the United States for accident related deaths.

Alcohol related fatalities have dropped a bit each year since 1982; however, alcohol is still cited as the cause for nearly half of all car crash related deaths. Sadly, that percentage has been holding steady for at least two years. There is not much you can do about other people who choose to drive under the influence of alcohol, but you can sometimes get your car insurance premiums reduced by taking a defensive driving course or by spending some time practicing good defensive driving at an autocross course. And, of course, never drink and drive.

Theft and Louisiana Car Insurance Rates

In 2000, Louisiana ranked 4th highest for crime, 5th highest for property crimes and 7th highest in the nation for vehicle theft. As recently as 2005, Louisiana recorded one crime for every 24 people, and 86% of that was against property.

Theft is a problem in Louisiana but automobile owners can take steps to guard against theft and lower their premiums as a result. If you own a car that is less likely to be stolen you will be likely to get a better car insurance rate. The Ford Taurus, Toyota Prius and the Volkswagen Beetle have been ranked as some of the least likely models to be stolen.

Conversely, if you drive an automobile that is has a high rate of theft you can expect to pay more for your insurance. Some of the models ranked most highly coveted by car thieves include the Honda Civic, the Honda Accord, and the Toyota Camry. The Cadillac Escalade has a theft rate that is approximately 7% to 8% higher than the average for all other cars.

If you own one of these models, you can still take steps to protect yourself and lower your car insurance premiums by getting an anti-theft device. Car alarms, locks and Low Jacks are all anti-theft devices that are readily available. Car alarms are designed to draw attention to the thief if an attempt to steal the vehicle is made. Wheel lock and steering wheel locks disable the vehicle rendering it inoperable and making it less appealing to a potential thief. Low Jacks allow you to track the movement of your vehicle which provides you a higher probability of recovery after a theft has occurred and possibly the apprehension of the thief.

Louisiana Car Insurance and Weather

Louisiana has a humid subtropical climate and is positioned at the southern part of the United States on the Gulf of Mexico. These factors cause the state to be prone to tropical storms and hurricanes. Since our state contains a large number of low lying areas, marshes, inlets and bayous, this combines with its predisposition toward harsh storms and causes it to be high risk for weather related damages.

Louisiana averages 60 days of thunderstorms per year and 27 tornados per year. Our state has endured a long list of hurricanes in its history which have caused flooding, loss of property and many deaths. The most notable of these was hurricane Katrina in 2005 which destroyed New Orleans’s levees and flooded 80% of the city. Of course, an insurance company will consider that a resident of Louisiana has a high probability of weather related automobile damage when determining their rates.

Even though factors like theft rates, fatality rates and weather can work against you when it comes to your car insurance premiums, you still stand to gain lower rate quotes when insurance companies compete for your business. Getting rate quotes from three or four comparable insurers will let you rest easy that your premiums are the lowest possible for the area in which you live.

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