Louisiana UTV Laws

Who says that there is no fun to be had in Louisiana in the summer? Sure, the tourist season is in the winter, but Louisianans enjoy our home state year-round. Louisiana is a great place for summer fun once you get away from the stagnant heat of the French Quarter. Whether you are fishing or camping, you can find just the right mix of relaxation and excitement. For a real adventure, though, you can hardly do better than riding a utility task vehicle (UTV). When you follow the laws and exercise caution, it is safe to ride a UTV.  Meanwhile, UTV collisions can cause serious injury since the vehicles offer little in the way of structural protection. If you get injured in a UTV accident, the amount of money you can get through an insurance claim or lawsuit will be greater if you follow all the laws and safety rules related to UTVs. To find out more, contact a Houma personal injury lawyer.

What is a UTV?

Louisiana law categorizes UTVs as a type of off-highway vehicle (OHV). Therefore, the same laws apply to UTVs as to all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). UTVs were originally designed for work on farms and other areas away from paved roads. The following are characteristics of UTVs:

•     They have more than one seat, usually two or four.  According to Louisiana law, the number of people riding in a UTV cannot exceed the number of seatbelts.
•     UTVs have four wheels.
•     The maximum speed varies from one UTV to another, but it always exceeds 30 miles per hour.  Some models of UTV can go 85 mph.
•     A UTV has a steering wheel, gas pedal, and brake pedal like a car.
•     Some UTVs have an enclosed passenger compartment, but others have a set of bars called a roll cage.

In most cases, the law does not require UTV riders to wear helmets, but you are always safer with a helmet than without one.

Where is it Legal to Ride a UTV in Louisiana?

In most cases, you can only ride a UTV off-road, which means you have to tow it with your truck until you get to your destination. Most people ride their UTVs at UTV parks or simply on unoccupied land. If a public road intersects the off-road area, you can cross the road on your UTV, but each parish has its own laws about which vehicular roads are legal for UTV crossing. If your UTV is registered as a street-legal vehicle in another state, then there are more roads where you can ride it in Louisiana.

What are Your Legal Rights After a UTV Accident?

People who get injured in preventable accidents have the right to seek damages for their accident-related injuries from the party that caused the accident. Depending on the details of your accident, the responsible party could be the driver, the UTV owner, the manufacturer, or the owner of the land where the accident took place.

Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey About UTV Accidents

A car accident lawyer can help you recover your accident-related financial losses if you were injured in an off-road vehicle accident.  Contact the Law Office of Patrick H. Yancey in Houma, Louisiana, to set up a consultation about your case.

Sources

https://www.dirtlegal.com/street-legal-utv-guide/louisiana

https://law.justia.com/codes/louisiana/2015/code-revisedstatutes/title-32/rs-32-299.3

https://www.dairylandinsurance.com/motorcycle/on-the-road/insurance/atv-versus-utv