Cheap car insurance? Not in Louisiana!
Recently, the political parties were arguing over whether you should be allowed to buy your health insurance across state lines. As part of the healthcare debate, the GOP was strongly in favor of dismantling the current state monopoly. For once, and some would say for good reason, the Democrats were the party of “No”, and insurance companies are still to be regulated by Departments of Insurance in individual states. Obviously, this does not prevent you from moving between states so here, at last, is a national survey telling you where to pitch your tent to get the cheapest premium rates for insuring your vehicle.
With the arrival of internet search engines, it is easy to collect and compare data state-by-state. For these purposes, the research team agreed a standard set of answers to the questionnaires used by the search engines. The sample covered ten zip codes for each state and assumed a single male driver with a short distance to commute to work. He accepted a $500 deductible on comprehensive and collision coverage, and limits of $100,000 for injury to one individual, $300,000 for all injuries arising out of a single traffic accident, and $50,000 for property damage. Prudently, our hypothetical male also asked for uninsured coverage. This approach distinguishes the survey from that undertaken by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). The NAIC monitors the actual premium rates and takes an average from the gross revenue figures submitted by the insurers in each state. This survery’s sole intention was to find the cheapest average insurance available for one class of driver.
