Louisiana Passes Law Allowing Mechanical Breakdown Insurers to Provide Windshield-Specific Policies
June 14, 2010

Louisania Gov. Bobby Jindal signed a law late last week that will allow vehicle mechanical breakdown insurers to provide customers with specific vehicle component coverage contracts for several items, including windshield-specific coverage, for road hazards.

Under the terms of the law, mechanical breakdown insurers can now provide windshield-specific contracts to their customers, and that contract would "promise to pay for all or part of the cost of the repair or of the replacement of windshield or window glass on a motor vehicle when the damage to the glass is caused by contact with a road hazard." The law, which has already taken effect, says the term "road hazard" includes items such as potholes, rocks, curbs, wood debris, other debris, nails, screws, bolts, metal parts or glass, but not damage caused by a collision with another vehicle, vandalism or other causes "usually covered under the comprehensive or collision coverages."

Vehicle mechanical breakdown insurers are defined as companies "issuing or attempting to issue vehicle mechanical breakdown policies or vehicle component coverage contracts."

The bill was introduced in March by Rep. Charles E. Kleckely (R - La.). Kleckely had not responded to requests for comment on the bill's origins at press time.

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