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Is there a Louisiana auto insurance discount for a defensive driving course?

Louisiana law says the state insurance commissioner shall authorize a rate cut of up to ten percent, if actuarially justified, when a carrier files for it. The insured and principal operator must show a certificate from a National Safety Council course or a state-approved one. Ask your insurer whether it has filed one.

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The rule, fact by fact

Rule
Louisiana Revised Statutes 22:1457Name this statute when you ask your insurer about the discount.
Verified. Louisiana Revised Statutes · R.S. 22:1457 (opens state website) · checked Nov 13, 2026
Size of the reduction
A rate reduction of up to ten percent, if actuarially justifiedAsk your insurer what it actually filed.
Same source and date as above
Agency
Course approved and certified by the Department of Public Safety and CorrectionsThe National Safety Council course is the other route.
Same source and date as above
Valid for
New and renewal policies effective within thirty-six months after completionMark the date three years out.
Same source and date as above
Cost
A fee of one dollar or another sum the commissioner approves may be chargedThis is for certifying completion. Ask the provider for the course price.
Same source and date as above

How to get it done

  1. Step 1. Know what the law covers. Its ten-percent rule applies to motor vehicle liability and physical damage insurance.

  2. Step 2. Pick a National Safety Council Defensive Driving Course or a defensive driving course approved and certified by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections.

  3. Step 3. Take the course only after your insurer says it accepts that certificate and tells you the amount.

  4. Step 4. Show your certificate to your insurer. The credit applies to policies effective within thirty-six months after you finish. After that you repeat the course and present evidence again.

Before you pay

Pay for a course only after your insurer says it has a filed discount and what it takes off. Get the amount in writing.

Questions

Does the discount cover every driver in my household?

Not necessarily. If more than one driver uses an automobile, the rate reduction is not authorized on it unless all who drive it complete such a course successfully. If the policy insures two or more automobiles, the credit applies only to the automobile principally operated by a person who has completed such a course. Under the rule for drivers fifty-five and older, every driver of the vehicle must also be fifty-five or older.

Which policies and people does the credit leave out?

Policies priced on experience or assigned risk, policies subject to a discount for an approved driver education course sanctioned by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections or required to pay a substandard risk surcharge, and any person whose enrollment resulted from a court order or sentence. The rule for drivers fifty-five and older does not list the driver education discount, and it also leaves out anyone eligible for a preferred rating plan.

Is there a separate rule for older drivers?

Yes. Apart from the ten-percent rule, when the carrier files for it, the commissioner shall authorize an actuarially justified reduction, as determined by the carrier, on bodily injury liability, property damage liability and collision when the named insured and principal operator is fifty-five or older and has the same kind of certificate. Every driver of that vehicle must also be fifty-five or older and have completed such a course.

What to do next

Ask your insurer before you pay. The statute is public: read Louisiana R.S. 22:1457.

legis.la.gov

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