Driving thru Louisiana (Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lafayette: rental car, rental, live in)

[wvacountryroads]

Let me start off by saying I am not trying to insult the State of LA.
I will driving across the sate later this month and I hope for the trip to be trouble free and to have time to take in the beauty of the State. I have never driven in LA and as I recall a few years back there was a Dateline show about the abuse by LA police department on out of sate drivers particullary driving rental vehicles. Has this abusive problem been stoped or should I really make plans to avoid driving my rental car across the state?

[SBCmetroguy]

Originally Posted by wvacountryroads

Let me start off by saying I am not trying to insult the State of LA.
I will driving across the sate later this month and I hope for the trip to be trouble free and to have time to take in the beauty of the State. I have never driven in LA and as I recall a few years back there was a Dateline show about the abuse by LA police department on out of sate drivers particullary driving rental vehicles. Has this abusive problem been stoped or should I really make plans to avoid driving my rental car across the state?

I've never heard about this Dateline episone, but I will tell you that the Louisiana State Police DO seem to target out-of-state vehicles. Obviously the State Police aren't supposed to pull you over without a reason, but keep in mind all they need is to see you change lanes without using your blinker and they suddenly have a reason to pull you over. As long as you have nothing illegal on you, you should be fine.

Now when it comes to small town police departments, I have no idea about that but I usually don't see their police officers on the interstates. Usually on the interstates I see local sheriff's deputies and State Police.

[ceejamon]

If there is a line of 3 speeders they will indeed pull over the one with out of state plates. But as long as you drive safely, don't speed, and follow the rules of the road you have nothing to worry about.

Beware speed traps. In small towns the speed limit will often drop suddenly and an officer will be waiting just behind the sign. If you're staying on interstate, this won't be a problem though.

[SBCmetroguy]

Originally Posted by ceejamon

If there is a line of 3 speeders they will indeed pull over the one with out of state plates. But as long as you drive safely, don't speed, and follow the rules of the road you have nothing to worry about.

Beware speed traps. In small towns the speed limit will often drop suddenly and an officer will be waiting just behind the sign. If you're staying on interstate, this won't be a problem though.

This reminds me!! If you're going down I-20 through Shreveport toward Dallas, beware of the town called Waskom, TX!! It's right across the state line, and the cops there are bad. Their town police DO get out on the interstate, as well as Texas State Police.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by wvacountryroads

Let me start off by saying I am not trying to insult the State of LA.
I will driving across the sate later this month and I hope for the trip to be trouble free and to have time to take in the beauty of the State. I have never driven in LA and as I recall a few years back there was a Dateline show about the abuse by LA police department on out of sate drivers particullary driving rental vehicles. Has this abusive problem been stoped or should I really make plans to avoid driving my rental car across the state?

The Dateline segment a decade ago pointed about abuses by a police department in one place IIRC (Iowa, which is near Lake Charles on I-10). Though I live in Louisiana (and am suuposedly safe as a native), I promise you we're decent people. Just try to keep it within 10 mph over (equally as important, go with the traffic flow). And if you're on I-10, be a little more careful going over the Atchafalaya (16 miles of elevated freeway between BR and Lafayette with a 60 mph speed limit that is fairly aggressively patrolled). If you take I-12 as a shortcut, they're aggressively enforcing the 60 mph speed limit in the eastern fringes of East Baton Rouge Parish.

[hank0604]

I've done a lot of driving across the state, and feel like I've got a pretty good sense of many of the speed traps and such around the area. Tell us where you'll be driving and we can probably give you more pointed advice.

[wvacountryroads]

Originally Posted by hank0604

I've done a lot of driving across the state, and feel like I've got a pretty good sense of many of the speed traps and such around the area. Tell us where you'll be driving and we can probably give you more pointed advice.

We will be driving from Florida to Fort Worth. Map Quest sets the route as 1-20 across LA

AAA sets the route as I-10 I 49 to I-20 or would it be better to take I-10 to Houston then North to FW?

I believe the rental car will have cruise control so that can be used to stay with in limits. I generally like to as you say go with the flow and stay with the pack but if LA SP is going to single out the out of state car. I may as well avoid LA all together and drive an extra 3 hours to avoid the state

[WestbankNOLA]

You will be fine! at least as far as LSP. This is the first I've even heard of such a situation.

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by WestbankNOLA

You will be fine! at least as far as LSP. This is the first I've even heard of such a situation.

The situation that is being referred to happened over a decade ago

NBC's "Dateline" Wins Top Honors For Its Louisiana Forfeiture Expose
Louisiana Law Enforcement Stops Innocent Motorists and Seizes Their Property, Reports NBC's "Dateline"

[BRMan]

Originally Posted by wvacountryroads

We will be driving from Florida to Fort Worth. Map Quest sets the route as 1-20 across LA

AAA sets the route as I-10 I 49 to I-20 or would it be better to take I-10 to Houston then North to FW?

I believe the rental car will have cruise control so that can be used to stay with in limits. I generally like to as you say go with the flow and stay with the pack but if LA SP is going to single out the out of state car. I may as well avoid LA all together and drive an extra 3 hours to avoid the state

One minor modification to the route: take I-10, then I-12 (taking I-10 the whole way through La results in going through N.O and will make the trip a bit longer). I-12 merges back into I-10 in Baton Rouge. Take I-10 across the Miss river to LA 415 (the second Port Allen Exit). LA 415 then deadends at US 190 a few miles to the north. Then take US 190 to I-49. It'll shave 20 miles off your trip. And you also won't have the risk of being stranded on I-10 out in the middle of the swamp. You will pass through four stoplight towns, of which two (Livonia, Port Barre, and Krotz Springs) have some local police presence.