What Are the Most Dangerous Roads in Louisiana?

June 22nd, 2020

Every time you get behind the wheel of your car, you face the risk of being in an accident. As your mom or dad probably told you when you were first learning how to drive, it doesn’t matter how safe of a driver you are – it’s the other drivers you have to look out for to avoid an accident.

And in Louisiana, your risk of getting into a serious or even deadly car crash may be higher than most other places in the U.S. A 2018 survey found that Louisiana ranked 7th in the nation for deadliest roads, with 777 deaths per 100,000 people. Fatalities on our roads have been on the rise for the last decade, according to the Highway Safety Research Group at LSU.

So, what are Louisiana’s most dangerous roads, and how deadly are they?

Louisiana’s 10 Deadliest Roads

Safer America, an organization dedicated to gathering and sharing consumer safety information, recently completed a study of the most dangerous roads in Louisiana based on the number of recorded fatalities between 2015-2017.

The top 10 are:

10. US-171: 26 fatal crashes, 26 deaths

9. I-12: 25 fatal crashes, 26 deaths

8. US-165: 30 fatal crashes, 31 deaths

7. I-49: 29 fatal crashes, 37 deaths

6. US-61: 34 fatal crashes, 38 deaths

5. SR-1: 45 fatal crashes, 48 deaths

4. US-90: 50 fatal crashes, 52 deaths

3. I-20: 49 fatal crashes, 52 deaths

2. US-190: 48 fatal crashes, 54 deaths

Leading us all up to…

1. I-10: 121 fatal crashes, 136 deaths

I-10 was the only road on the list to enter triple digits, with more than double the number of fatal crashes and fatalities over the span of the three-year survey than any other road in Louisiana.

But it’s no surprise I-10 came in at first place. I-10 sees a truly enormous amount of traffic, since it connects four of the largest cities in the state – Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, and New Orleans  – as well as connects Louisiana to Texas and Mississippi. Between the commuters, tourists, and long-haul truckers, there’s a lot of vehicles on the road. And the more traffic there is, the more likely it is that crashes will occur.

Primary Causes of Accidents and Traffic Deaths in Louisiana

So what can you do to avoid accidents when you can’t avoid taking these roads? Practice safe driving habits as much as you can. The same factors that cause crashes on less trafficked roads are in effect here, just on a more massive scale.

  • 78% of all fatal traffic accidents in Louisiana in 2017 included one of the following factors: alcohol, aggressive driving, distraction, or failure to wear a seatbelt, according to data collected by LSU’s Highway Safety Research Group.
  • In 2017, more than 40% of all motor vehicle crashes in Louisiana were alcohol-related, according to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.
  • In 2018, Louisiana ranked 9th in the nation for most drunk driving-related deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, up from 10th in 2017.
  • An average of 38 Louisianans die and 5,400 are injured annually due to distracted driving, according to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission.
  • In 2015, 52% of all victims of fatal traffic accidents in Louisiana were not wearing seat belts, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
  • In 2019, Louisiana was ranked as having the 4th worst drivers in the nation by CarInsuranceComparison.com’s annual survey, in particular for drivers’ failure to obey traffic signals.

If You’ve Been Injured in an Accident That Wasn’t Your Fault, We Want to Help

We can’t make other drivers stop drinking and driving or obey the speed limit, but when they act recklessly and put you or your loved ones in harm’s way, we are here to help you get the compensation you need.

Whether you were hit on I-90, or in the parking lot at Rouses Market, your injuries are real. Contact us today for a free consultation, and if you decide to hire us, you don’t pay unless we win.