Louisiana Revised Statute 32:866, known as “No Pay, No Play,” limits what an uninsured owner or driver can recover after a crash, even when someone else caused it. For accidents on or after August 1, 2025, an uninsured driver generally cannot recover the first $100,000 in bodily injury damages or the first $100,000 in property damage. Before that date, those thresholds were much lower. A few narrow exceptions exist.
What the Law Does Not Change for Insured Drivers
- Your exposure when you’re at fault. If you cause a serious accident and the injured person carried insurance, the law doesn’t limit their claim against you at all.
- Your own medical and repair costs from an uninsured driver. The law restricts what an uninsured person can collect. It does nothing to make an uninsured at-fault driver able to pay you.
- Passengers and pedestrians. People injured by your vehicle who weren’t driving an uninsured car can still pursue full damages.
Where Your Umbrella Fits
A personal umbrella adds liability protection above your auto and homeowners limits when you’re the one being sued. Many umbrella policies also offer optional uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which can help when the other driver can’t cover your injuries. Keeping these two protections in mind together gives a fuller picture than looking at either one alone.
One More Reason Continuous Coverage Matters
A lapse, even a short one, can leave you considered uninsured under this law. It can also affect an umbrella, since most umbrella carriers require specific underlying auto coverage to stay in force.
Hughes Insurance Services has helped families across Gonzales and Ascension Parish since 1981 sort through changes like this one. To review your auto limits, uninsured motorist options, and umbrella together, visit our Gonzales office page or reach out through Hughes Insurance Services in Gonzales, LA.
