That's pretty intense plate law Scotty.
I think its mainly to enforce the insurance law. If you have no insurance, you shouldn't have a plate on the vehicle (so it should be undriveable).

But its a hell of a lot of headaches. You can actually own and register a vehicle with no insurance, but you can't get a plate without insurance. So say you buy a car thats a project vehicle that you won't be driving, you can register it with no insurance, but you can't get a plate. But once you get it driveable, then you have to get insurance and go back to the DMV with your ins card to get a plate. They are so strict on having proof of insurance it frikkin unreal. If you switch ins companies, the policy you drop will notify the state that you dropped coverage. The state will then send you a letter stating that unless you come to the DMV and show proof that you got new coverage within 10 days of dropping the old coverage, you get a fine.

Then get this: the fines are ridiculous. your 1st cancellation or lapse is a $150 fine, 2nd is $250, 3rd and each one after is a $500 fine!

One time the DMV got their paperworl screwed up and confused one of my insurance cancellation on a vehicle I sold with one I still had. When I tried to explain their mixup, they didn't even wanna listen to me they just kept saying "Sir you need to pay this $150 fine, and thats all there is to it." I got so angry I demanded to see a supervisor. I even had a receipt showing I turned in the plate for the vehicle I sold, yet their computer was showing that the ins cancellation was on my cutlass (my current vehicle at the time) . I was even on the phone with my ins agent having him get ready to fax proff that I never had any lapse on the cutlass. They finally figured their mistake after reading thru every event on file and every plate number associated with each event. It was simply a clerical error, yet I got no apology for their mistake and having to take a day off work and sit in the DMV for 4 hours.

But thats the state of Louisiana for ya.
