Louisiana Department of Insurance

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Boating Safety
Carjackings Still a Problem
Driving in Fog
Important To Change Registration
Airbag Theft is Common

What can you tell me about boat insurance? I've always had a boat but have never insured one. With all the high speed crafts that are out there today, I'm beginning to think I need to buy a policy.

It's that time of year again when the warm weather draws people to nearby lakes and coastal areas for rest and recreation. In recent years, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of boats on Louisiana waterways. In fact, the number of registered boats in Louisiana is now approaching 330,000. If you are going to be using your boat at all, you need insurance protection. That is especially true in light of the fact that Louisiana is in the top 10 for number of boating accidents in 2002.

Not surprisingly, over half of boating accidents involve collisions between two boats, and all too often, someone is hurt or even killed. With the rise in the number of boating accidents, the need for insurance has gone up as well. If you are found liable in an accident involving your boat, you will be responsible for the property damage and bodily injury incurred by other people and property in the accident. These days, you need liability and medical coverage on the water just as surely as you do on our streets and highways.

To learn more about what kind of boat insurance is best for you, begin by talking to the producer who handles your automobile and home insurance. If your boat is a small, noncommercial one, you may be able to obtain liability insurance on it by adding a rider to your homeowners policy. If that is not an option, ask your insurance producer if he can sell you an individual policy to cover your boat or recommend someone who can.

Insurance is available for any kind of noncommercial boat, or "pleasure craft" you have, but you may need to shop around. Whether you own a personal watercraft (commonly known as a jet ski or wave runner), a yacht, or something in between, you can get coverage. It's just a matter of finding out which companies insure the kind of boat you have.

Anyone with insurance-related questions or concerns is invited to contact the Louisiana Department of Insurance at 1-800-259-5300 or 225-342-5900 in Baton Rouge or write Department of Insurance, P.O. Box 94214, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9214.

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Are carjackings still a problem? I haven’t heard much about them lately.

Unfortunately, carjacking, which involves a criminal forcibly taking your car away from you, is still a concern. While it is often thought of as a big city crime, carjacking can and does happen everywhere.

December is the worst month for carjacking, with close to 30 percent of the incidence usually happening around that time. You should be extra careful when you go to a busy shopping mall during the holidays. Don’t forget, though, that carjackings can occur at your neighborhood grocery or in your own driveway.

You should not be lulled into thinking nobody would want the car you drive. Sometimes criminals carjack a vehicle for use in another crime such as a burglary. Your vehicle may be just what they need for the job.

To avoid carjacking, it is always a good idea to be especially careful after dark, but be aware of what is going on around you when you walk up to your car anytime, day or night. Glance in the back seat and under the car before unlocking the door. This may sound very impractical for some people, such as parents with two or three little ones, but those children are all the more reason for you to be careful.

Parents, grandparents, and others with small children in their care should remember that the carjacker might choose your car without knowing you have small children with you. Once the crime is in progress, it is too late for the thief to have second thoughts about endangering the life of your child. If it comes down to a choice between the safety of a criminal and the safety of your child, you know which will come first.

Carjackings often occur when the car is parked or at a traffic light, but they can also take place on the road. Someone may bump your car, and then steal it when you stop on the side of the road to inspect the damage.

If you suspect any kind of criminal activity in a traffic situation, call *LSP. The call is free, and it will be routed immediately to a law enforcement officer in your area.

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When we had a lot of heavy fog the other day I was amazed at the number of people driving without their car lights on. Are there some safety tips for driving in this kind of weather?

Many drivers don’t think of dense fog in the same way they do rain or other severe weather conditions. But just as the number of accidents rise when it’s raining, the number accidents also increases when thick fog settles into an area.

Fog occurs when the air can’t hold anymore moisture, which generally happens early in the morning or late at night. Whether you start out in the fog or you suddenly come upon a fogged-in area, the key is to slow down and turn your headlights on low beam. Do not use your bright lights. Having your headlights on low will minimize the glare off the fog. It’s also a good idea to turn on your wipers, and you may need to turn on your defroster to clear condensation from your windshield.

Remember that fog severely reduces not only your vision but everyone else’s too. You should use patience, and try not to switch lanes unless it is absolutely necessary. Another rule-of-thumb is to use the right side of the road as a guide. If you use the center lane stripe or markers as a guide, you run the risk of veering into oncoming traffic.

If you feel visibility is too poor for you to drive safely, you should try to find a place where you can get completely off of the road. Try to avoid just pulling over on the shoulder. The closer you are to the traffic lane, the greater your chances of being rear-ended.

You should be cautious when you see emergency flashers when there is poor visibility. Studies have shown that drivers are attracted to lights, such as emergency flashers, and tend to follow them, even if they are off to the side of the road. This is what’s known as the "moth effect."

If you have to drive in bad weather conditions, remember to slow down, use your windshield wipers and keep your headlights on low beam.

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The sheriff’s office called when they found a car I had sold on the side of the highway with bullets holes in it. Why did he call me instead of the new owner?

You probably got the call because the registration on the car was still in your name. Even though you have sold a car, you can still be held responsible for it unless you personally see that you are free of liability. That means you must make sure the car is no longer registered in your name and that the license plate you bought for the car has been removed. Don't depend on the new owner to take care of such an important matter for you.

Here are some things you can do to protect yourself from any future liability when you are selling a car. First of all, it’s a good idea for you to ride with anyone you don't know well who test drives your vehicle. If that person did not come back within a reasonable length of time, you would want to report your car as stolen and receive payment under the comprehensive coverage on your car, but the situation would be complicated by the fact that you had given that person permission to drive it.

Once the sale is made, both you and the buyer should sign two original bills of sale and have them notarized. Give the buyer one and keep the other for your records. The title of the car should be signed over to the new owner and notarized as well. In addition, it is extremely important that you remove the license plate before handing the keys over to the buyer. Return the old license plate to the Office of Motor Vehicles personally and show them the notarized bill of sale as proof that you no longer own the car. Also, keep the liability insurance on the car you are selling until you turn in that license plate.

If you don’t turn in your plate and an uninsured driver has an accident in the vehicle or it is found riddled with bullet holes, as in your case, you may have a tough time proving that it is no longer yours. You could be held responsible for damages, towing fees, and perhaps even criminal charges.

You may say that trusting the buyer has worked out well when you have sold cars in the past. Yet what happened to you this time is a good example of why you shouldn't take that chance in the future. As with any other kind of business transaction, it makes sense for you to follow through yourself to make sure you are no longer liable for any motor vehicle you no longer own. Removing the license plate and taking all the steps necessary to remove your name as registered owner of the car should give you the protection you need after a sale.

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I recently heard on the news that you should lock your car even if all you leave in it is your airbag, but I didn’t hear the explanation. What was that about?

The news item you heard probably relates to the fact that airbags are the hottest new item on the car theft circuit. A thief who breaks into a motor vehicle these days may not be interested in the camera on the seat or the radio under the dash. He may be looking for the airbags. An estimated 600 airbags are being stolen in this country each week, and that number will grow as the number of vehicles with airbags increases.

Dishonest operators of autobody shops actually recruit thieves to steal airbags. The scam works like this. The thief is paid $100 to $200 for the stolen airbag. The bodyshop then collects up to $1,500 from an unsuspecting insurance company or individual consumer for purchase and installation of that “new” airbag.

To lessen the chances that your motor vehicle will be the target of theft, lock it each time you leave it, whether or not you have airbags. When parking in public lots, especially at night, look for a well-lighted spot near the entrance or other areas where people will be passing by.

While we are on the subject, remember the basic rules of air bag safety for children and small adults. Experts caution that children should always ride in the back seat of a vehicle that has airbags and that they should be properly buckled in with both lap and shoulder straps appropriate to their age and size.

If a larger child or a small adult must sit in the front passenger seat where there is an airbag, the seat should be moved as far away from the dash as possible.

Even for people who do not have airbags in their vehicles at the present time, the basic rules of safety discussed here still apply.

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