Car Insurance After Reckless Driving in Louisiana: Rates & Options

A reckless driving conviction in Louisiana adds 6 points to your driving record and typically increases insurance premiums by 80–110%, according to rate data from the Louisiana Department of Insurance. If you were paying $140/month before the conviction, expect to pay $250–295/month after. That increase persists for three to five years depending on your carrier's lookback period, though the steepest surcharge usually drops after the first three years. Louisiana does not require SR-22 filing for reckless driving unless your license was suspended or the charge involved serious injury. This matters because SR-22 filing alone adds $25–50 annually and limits you to carriers who write high-risk policies. Without the SR-22 requirement, you remain eligible for standard and preferred carriers willing to write drivers with moving violations, which expands your options significantly. The 6-point violation puts you closer to Louisiana's suspension threshold of 12 points in 12 months or 18 points in 24 months. If you accumulate additional violations during your first year after the reckless driving charge, you risk triggering an automatic suspension and then you will need SR-22 coverage for three years. Until that happens, your primary challenge is the rate increase, not compliance filing. Louisiana SR-22 requirements non-standard auto insurance

Most major carriers will still insure you after a single reckless driving conviction, but your rate treatment varies widely by company. State Farm, Allstate, and Progressive typically retain existing customers with a surcharge but may decline new applicants with recent reckless driving charges. GEICO and USAA generally remain open to writing new policies for single moving violations but apply their full surcharge tables. Non-standard carriers like The General, Acceptance Insurance, and National General specialize in violations and often deliver more competitive rates than standard carriers after a major ticket. These companies expect imperfect records and price accordingly — they don't treat reckless driving as an automatic declination trigger. Acceptance Insurance operates extensively in Louisiana and frequently offers the lowest quotes for drivers with 6-point violations. Rate differences between carriers for the same violation can exceed 40%. A driver quoted $285/month by one standard carrier may find coverage at $195/month through a non-standard specialist. This gap exists because violation surcharges are not regulated in Louisiana — each carrier sets its own tier and pricing structure for point violations. Shopping at least three carriers, including one non-standard option, is the single highest-leverage action you can take after a reckless driving charge.

Louisiana removes reckless driving points from your record three years after the conviction date, not the citation date or payment date. Your insurance company, however, typically reviews your motor vehicle record annually at renewal. Most carriers apply their violation surcharge for three to five years from the conviction date, even if points have already dropped off your state record. This creates two separate timelines. Louisiana's Office of Motor Vehicles stops counting the points toward suspension after three years, which means you're no longer at risk of accumulating points toward the 12-in-12 or 18-in-24 thresholds. But your insurer may continue applying a surcharge for up to five years because they base pricing on the violation itself, not just the active point count. You can verify exactly when your points will drop off by requesting a certified driving record from the Louisiana OMV. The conviction date listed on that record is your starting point for the three-year clock. Most drivers see their rates begin to normalize after the third anniversary, with full clean-record pricing returning between years four and five depending on carrier policy.

Louisiana does not mandate SR-22 filing for a standalone reckless driving conviction. SR-22 is required only if your license is suspended, you're convicted of DUI, you cause an accident without insurance, or a court orders proof of financial responsibility as part of your sentencing. Reckless driving alone does not trigger these conditions unless it resulted in suspension or serious injury. If your reckless driving charge did result in a license suspension — common when the violation involves excessive speed over 100 mph or a second reckless conviction within 12 months — you will need to file SR-22 for three years from your reinstatement date. The filing itself costs $25–50 annually depending on your carrier, but the larger cost is the restriction to high-risk carriers and the loss of good driver discounts, which together can add another 20–40% to your base premium. Most Louisiana drivers convicted of reckless driving are not required to file SR-22. If you received no suspension notice from the OMV and no court order requiring proof of financial responsibility, you do not need SR-22 coverage. You can confirm your status by checking your suspension notice or calling the Louisiana OMV Driver Control Section at 225-925-6388.

The fastest way to reduce your rate after a reckless driving charge is to shop at least three carriers, including one non-standard specialist. Rate differences for the same violation routinely exceed $80/month between carriers. National General, Acceptance, and Progressive are the most commonly competitive for Louisiana drivers with recent moving violations. Louisiana allows drivers to complete a state-approved defensive driving course to reduce points by up to 4 points, but only if you have not used the option in the past three years and your total point balance does not exceed 10 points. Completing the course will not remove the conviction from your record — insurers will still see the reckless driving charge when they pull your MVR — but it lowers your active point count, which can prevent suspension if you're close to the 12-point threshold. Most carriers do not adjust rates based solely on defensive driving completion, but some offer a 5–10% discount for voluntary course completion. Increasing your liability limits or bundling home and auto policies can also offset part of the violation surcharge through multi-policy discounts. Many drivers drop coverage to state minimums after a rate increase, but Louisiana's minimum liability limits of 15/30/25 leave significant personal exposure in at-fault accidents. Maintaining 50/100/50 or higher limits often costs less than $20/month more and preserves access to carriers that decline drivers carrying only minimum coverage.

Accumulating a second moving violation within 12 months of your reckless driving charge places you at serious risk of license suspension. Louisiana suspends drivers who reach 12 points in 12 months or 18 points in 24 months. A reckless driving conviction already carries 6 points, so a second 4-point violation — like speeding 20+ mph over the limit — triggers suspension. Once suspended, you'll need SR-22 coverage for three years from your reinstatement date. Reinstatement requires paying a $100 suspension fee to the OMV, providing proof of insurance, and filing SR-22 with the state. Your insurance costs will increase an additional 25–50% due to the SR-22 requirement and the elevated risk tier you'll be placed in after suspension. If you're currently within 12 months of your reckless driving conviction, avoid any additional citations. Even minor violations that carry 2–3 points can push you over the suspension threshold when combined with your existing 6-point charge. Louisiana does not offer hardship or work permits during suspension — you cannot legally drive until fully reinstated.

Most Louisiana drivers see their premiums begin to drop after the third anniversary of their reckless driving conviction. The steepest surcharges — typically 80–110% — apply during the first three years. After year three, the violation surcharge usually drops to 30–50% for another one to two years before returning to clean-record pricing. Your exact recovery timeline depends on your carrier's lookback period. Some carriers evaluate violations on a three-year rolling basis, meaning your rate normalizes fully once the conviction falls outside that window. Others use a five-year lookback, which delays full recovery but applies a graduated surcharge that decreases annually after year three. Re-shopping your policy at the three-year mark is critical. Carriers treat violations differently as they age — some apply full surcharges until the violation drops off entirely, while others begin reducing the surcharge percentage annually after year two. Moving to a carrier with a shorter lookback period or a graduated surcharge structure can cut your premium by 20–30% even if your violation is still visible on your record. state's specific point system and suspension thresholds