Is There A Law Against Driving Barefooted in Louisiana?

Years ago when the legal minimum age to get a driver's license in Louisiana was 15, things were much different.

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While many laws from those days are still around today, including those regarding drinking and driving, many new laws have been added to the books including those regarding texting and driving.

However, I've recently discovered that my parents were either misinformed, or they just out-and-out lied to me regarding the requirement to wear shoes while behind the wheel.

My parents, and those of many of my friends, always made sure that none of us boys would ever be behind the wheel shoeless. I can remember my Mom saying, "Be sure you've got your shoes on. Remember, it's the law."

Evidently, they were just concerned for the safety of those young drivers, but Louisiana law just simply does not require drivers wear any type of shoes while operating a motor vehicle.

Thezebra.com even goes as far as to say that,

It is, in fact, legal to drive a car, pickup truck, or similar vehicle without footwear in all 50 states. In the 1990s, a man named Jason Heimbaugh wrote to each of the 50 states’ departments of motor vehicles to make sure of it. Some took a long time to respond, but eventually, all confirmed that barefoot driving is indeed legal.

So, while it might be the safer option to have on shoes while driving in Louisiana, it just isn't one of the requirements of the Louisiana Department of Motor Vehicles.

Even though it's perfectly legal, I still can't imagine climbing behind the wheel without shoes. Guess my parents did a good job of instilling the fear.