Women in Louisiana on average pay $68 more a year for auto insurance than men regardless of their driving record, that is according to The Zebra, the nation’s leading insurance comparison site. Real Reform Louisiana Executive Director Eric Holl said insurance companies in Louisiana can charge drivers rates based on almost anything they want.
“Their justification is purely that insurance companies can make a little bit more money by charging women a penalty just for being women,” said Holl.
Holl said it’s even worse for women in the state in their 50s.
“Pay more than women almost anywhere in the country, an average of $118 more than men in their 50s who have the same driving record and drive the same car,” said Holl.
Holl said on average men have more reckless driving behavior compared to women, but women are charged more on average than men in the state.
Senator Jay Luneau has filed Senate Bill 55 to ban insurance companies from the use of gender and other non-driving factors like credit score. Holl said he doesn’t believe Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon will support the bill.
“He actually went before the legislature last year and told them that he thinks that gender discrimination and rate setting is fair discrimination. That is a direct quote from him,” said Holl.
Holl said seven states have banned the use of gender as a factor in car insurance rates, including four of the cheapest states for car insurance, according to the Zebra: Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Hawaii, and North Carolina.
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