Drivers Beware: Lindsay Lohan Offers Lessons in Auto Insurance
In all the commotion of Lindsay Lohan’s fall from grace, little attention has been paid to the impact her risky behavior will have on her insurance — auto, home, life, and health. But consumers can learn from her mistakes, according to the Insurance Information Network of California.
Using Lohan’s profile, ZIP code, vehicle model and current record of two DUIs and an at-fault car accident, IINC determined the average insurance premium difference she could pay for automobile insurance because of her risky behavior.
A single, 24-year-old female who lives in Beverly Hills ZIP code of 90210 (she lives in a condo in West Hollywood) and drives a 2009 Mercedes SL550 convertible would have access to 100 percent of the insurers offering auto coverage in California, IINC said. With a clean driving record, Lohan would pay approximately $2,075 every six months for a full coverage policy. But because of the at-fault accident and two DUIs on her driving record, the six-month premium jumps to $7,408.90. Worse yet, she would only have access to less than 10 percent of the companies in California offering auto coverage because most of the major insurers in the state would not want to insure her. Instead, she would probably have to purchase coverage for bad drivers through the Department of Insurance, IINC said.
Furthermore, her risky behavior also could affect the premium she would pay for life insurance, as some life insurers will pull a DMV record when determining a customer’s premium, the association indicated.
“Before we initially did the analysis, we thought her insurance would double,” said Pete Moraga, communications specialist for IINC. But, the increase in her premium because of her driving record is 350 percent more because she made some bad choices, compared to if she had a clean driving record.
“The big picture is that all of us can learn from her mistakes,” Moraga said. “People don’t always understand that what they pay for insurance is based on their own risk profile … and risky decisions we make in our daily lives will impact that cost.”
A DUI stays on a person’s driving record for 10 years, for instance.
Lohan might be able to afford paying nearly $15,000 for auto insurance, but for the general public, it’s important to know that the decisions we make and risks we take will affect your pocketbooks, Moraga said. “If we take risks and make bad decisions, our insurance will be much more expensive.”