Louisiana Speeding Tickets: The Law and Penalties

In Louisiana, you can get a speeding ticket for violating an "absolute speed limit" or the state's "general speed law." Here's how these two different types of speed limits work and the fines and other possible penalties you'll face for a speeding citation.

Types of Speeding Tickets in Louisiana

Below, we cover Louisiana's general speeding law and state's absolute (or maximum) speed limits.

Louisiana's General Speed Law (Safe Speed Requirement)

Louisiana's basic speeding law prohibits driving at a speed greater than is "reasonable and prudent under the conditions and potential hazards then existing, having due regard for the traffic on, and the surface and width of, the highway, and the condition of the weather."

In other words, regardless of the posted speed limit, motorists must always drive at a safe speed. What a safe speed is will depend on the specific circumstances. For instance, on a certain roadway, while 45 miles per hour might be safe when conditions are ideal, the same speed could become dangerous if it's raining and the road surface is slippery.

Louisiana's Maximum (Absolute) Speed Limits

Maximum speed limits are just what they sound like—the fastest speed a motorist can drive on a certain roadway. Drivers who get caught exceeding a maximum speed limit don't have a viable defense based on an argument that the speed was reasonable and safe.

Louisiana has state-wide maximum limits that prohibit driving in excess of:

• 75 miles per hour on an interstate or controlled-access highway, and
• 65 miles per hour on a multi-lane divided highway that has partial or no control of access.

Maximum speed limits are normally posted.

Fines and Costs for a Speeding Ticket in Louisiana

The consequences of a speeding violation vary by municipality and parish and generally depend on how much faster than the speed limit the motorist was driving. However, the fines and costs for a speed ticket typically range from about $100 to $300.

Other Possible Charges for Speeding

Depending on the circumstances, a speeding violation could result in a "reckless operation" conviction. And when speeding violations lead to the death of another person, "vehicular homicide" charges are a possibility.