Louisiana Aggressively Pursuing Fines for Driving Without Auto Insurance
The State of Louisiana has implemented new means for the state’s Office of Motor Vehicles (“OMV”) to collect fines from individuals driving without auto insurance. The OMV recently turned over fine collection to the state’s Office of Debt Recovery. The Office of Debt Recovery is the state’s collection agency and is empowered to collect OMV fines by extracting money from bank accounts, intercepting tax refunds and recommending that an individual’s state-issued professional license be suspended. Last year, the OMV sent out over 1.2 million letters to individuals it says were driving without auto insurance. It is estimated that these 1.2 million individuals owe $444 million in fines to the agency. Since taking over collection duties in December of 2015, the Office of Debt Recovery has collected over $5 million in fines.
