Louisiana, like other states in the US, requires that a minimum amount of motor vehicle liability insurance (or another form of financial responsibility) be placed on a vehicle in order to drive on the roadways. In fact any vehicle used upon the highways of Louisiana must be insured. When you apply for a LA license plate for any motor vehicle, you must have proof of the required liability insurance or other allowable substitute. This insurance is required to protect you and your assets as well as others that you may harm while driving.

Liability insurance pays claims if you are responsible for hurting another person or for damaging another person’s property. Without insurance you personally would be responsible for taking car of these expenses which could run in to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending upon the type of car damaged and the type of injuries the other driver and their passengers may have sustained.

The only insurance you are required to carry according to Louisiana law is 10/20/10 liability coverage on your motor vehicle. That is, if you are liable for damage or injury in an auto accident, the minimum liability policy will pay up to $10,000 for bodily injury to one person, $20,000 for bodily injury to more than one person and $10,000 property damage.

If you would like to research this subject more, Louisiana Revised Statute 32:900 defines a motor vehicle liability policy while R.S. 32:898(B) requires that proof of liability insurance be provided at the time of registration.

According to the LA Department of Public Safety, acceptable proof of liability insurance is listed below:

Submit a copy of insurance policy, or binder or a copy of I.D. card issued by the insurance company, or copy of declaration page, or written statement from the insurance company or agent. This statement must be on letterhead stationery, signed by representative of company/agent to include full description of the vehicle and vehicle identification number.