Louisiana § RS 32:341 - Brake equipment required

§ RS 32:341. Brake equipment required

A.  Every motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle, when operated upon a highway of this state, shall be equipped with brakes adequate to control the movement of and to stop and hold such vehicle, including two separate means of applying the brakes, each of which shall be effective to apply the brakes to at least two wheels.  If these two separate means of applying the brakes are connected in any way, they shall be so constructed that the failure of any one part of the operating mechanism shall not leave the motor vehicle without brakes on at least two wheels.

B.  Every motorcycle and every motor-driven cycle, when operated upon a highway of this state, shall be equipped with at least one brake, which may be operated by hand or foot.

C.  Every trailer or semi-trailer of a gross weight of 3,000 pounds or more, when operated upon a highway of this state, shall be equipped with brakes adequate to control the movement of and to stop and hold such vehicle and so designed as to be applied by the driver of the towing motor vehicle from its cab, and said brakes shall be so designed and connected that in case of an accidental breakaway of the towed vehicle the brakes shall be automatically applied.

D.  Every motor vehicle, trailer or semi-trailer manufactured or assembled after December 31, 1962, and thereafter sold in this state and operated upon the highways of this state shall be equipped with brakes upon all wheels of every such vehicle, except that no motorcycle, motor-driven cycle, or semi-trailer of less than 1,500 pounds gross weight, need be equipped with brakes.

E.  Parking brakes--adequacy--Every such vehicle and combination of vehicles, except motorcycles and motor-driven cycles, shall be equipped with parking brakes adequate to hold the vehicle on any grade on which it is operated, under all conditions of loading, on a surface free from snow, ice, or loose material.  The parking brakes shall be capable of being applied in conformance with the foregoing requirements by the driver's muscular effort or by spring action or by equivalent means.  Their operation may be assisted by the service brakes or other source of power provided that failure of the service brake actuation system or other power assisting mechanism will not prevent the parking brakes from being applied in conformance with the foregoing requirements.  The parking brakes shall be so designed that when once applied they shall remain applied with the required effectiveness despite exhaustion of any source of energy or leakage of any kind.  The same brake drums, brake shoes and lining assemblies, brake shoe anchors and mechanical brake shoe actuation mechanism normally associated with the wheel brake assemblies may be used for both the service brakes and the parking brakes.  If the means of applying the parking brakes and the service brakes are connected in any way, they shall be so constructed that failure of any one part shall not leave the vehicle without operative brakes.

F.  The brake shoes operating within or upon the drums on the vehicle wheels of any motor vehicle may be used for both service and hand operation.

G.  All sport, boat, or any other nonagricultural trailers and semi-trailers of less than 3000 pounds gross weight need not be equipped with brakes.

H.  Every trailer or semi-trailer of between three thousand and one and five thousand pounds gross weight need only have brakes on a single axle.

I.  Vehicles carrying forest products in their natural state shall not be required to have a brake on the drag axle if the wheels of the axle touch the ground only when the vehicle is loaded; however, this provision does not apply to trailers or trucks with more than two axles.

Acts 1962, No. 310, §1.  Amended by Acts 1964, No. 185, §1; Acts 1972, No. 145, §1; Acts 1972, No. 176, §1; Acts 1972, No. 503, §1; Acts 1982, No. 145, §1.