Louisiana laws allow truck bed passengers over 12 outside highways, yet those nostalgic rides risk catastrophic harm—including paralysis and death—from road ejections, rear-end collisions, and rollovers enabling victims to still file injury claims.
| Type | Dangers | Potential Injuries |
| Ejection | Slick surface, swerving, braking | Head and spine trauma |
| Rear Collision | Crushing, forward throw | Internal organ damage |
| Side Collision | Rollover due to top weight | Broken bones, paralysis |
Can you legally have passengers in the cargo bed of a pickup truck in Louisiana and what risks does it pose?
Louisiana tightened laws on riding in pickup truck beds due to the alarming dangers it presents to unsecured passengers vulnerable to unpredictable road conditions, ejection, and collisions resulting in catastrophic, sometimes fatal injuries.
While permitted for those over 12 outside highways, truck bed riding still risks head wounds, spinal damage, amputations, and more with drivers facing fines. However, injury victims can still claim compensation if hurt. But fond childhood memories must be weighed against traumatic brain trauma, paralysis, and death.
Despite allowance for over 12s, truck bed riding has no safety restraints exposing passengers to:
Ensuring older children and adults are informed of the statistical dangers and free from coercion with very careful driving is crucial to balancing nostalgia against public awareness of heightened risks to unprotected riders.
Many of us have fond memories of riding in the back of our dad’s truck bed. Whether we were going to see Independence Day fireworks or going fishing, it was always adults in the front and kids in the back.
Decades later, riding in the truck bed has gone the way of riding bikes without helmets and exploring the neighborhood with friends out of parental supervision. Laws and restrictions have been updated to reflect the seriousness of injuries.
The laws that govern who may ride in a truck bed have evolved since the 1960s. Gone are the days when Mom and Dad rounded up all the kids and their friends to go into town. Even Fido is not allowed in the truck bed anymore.
In the latest interpretation:
If you choose to allow passengers in your truck bed, there are a few things to consider involving fines, accidents, and potential injuries.
Most traffic law violations result in fines. Under the Code of Ordinances in Louisiana, if you have a passenger under the age of 12 in your truck bed, the penalty will be:
The fines can be compounded if the truck is stopped on the interstate highway.
When a passenger rides in a truck cargo bed, there are no restraints for safety belts. The passenger is exposed to the elements and vulnerable to being thrown from the vehicle.
According to the study, Fatalities to Occupants of Cargo Areas of Pickup Trucks:
In the last reporting year, nearly 20,000 people were killed in small pickup truck accidents with over a million injuries.
Passengers riding in the cargo area of a pickup truck are vulnerable to an array of catastrophic injuries. Even if a truck drives 30 mph, it can still be fatal.
The most common fatal injury for a passenger riding in a truck bed is a severe head injury. Passengers can fall out during a sharp turn or a particularly bumpy road. In some cases, passengers are riding on the wheel well.
The most common non-fatal injuries for truck bed passengers include:
Many of the above injuries lead to permanent damage with significant life-long implications. Recoveries are often long, difficult, and painful. There may be home modifications to be made or everyday routines to alter and relearn. While riding in the back of a pickup truck is legal in Louisiana, drivers should exercise considerable caution when allowing passengers in the back.
Truck beds are designed for cargo. They have no safety features for passengers. There are no airbags or seat belts to prevent a person from being ejected or hurt during a crash.
The top reasons riding in a truck bed is so dangerous involve:
While riding in the truck bed may be nostalgic and fun, drivers should exercise considerable caution when allowing passengers in the back.
Louisiana law allows individuals over 12 to ride in the back of the truck and restricts a truck’s access to the highway. When passengers ride in the truck bed, they take a significant risk of injury. However, the state does not prevent injury victims from recovering compensation.
When filing a claim, an insurance adjuster may assert that you assumed the risk by sitting in an unsecured truck bed and are responsible for your own injuries. An insurance company may argue that you are not entitled to the full compensation under the modified comparative negligence law.
Insurance adjusters can be very aggressive. They are highly trained negotiators tasked with minimizing any settlement or payout.
Call and discuss the details of your case with the truck accident attorneys of Charbonnet Law Firm, LLC today by dialing (504) 294-5075.
With over 50 years of legal experience serving families in the New Orleans area and surrounding Louisiana communities, our firm takes pride in providing clients with personalized legal services tailored to individual needs.
