Highway fatality rate drops to record low in Louisiana

Don Miller / CC

The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission reports the highway fatality rate dropped to a record low in 2019. Executive Director Lisa Freeman says based on data from the LSU Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety, 727 people died on Louisiana highways in 2019, a decrease of 46 fatalities from 2018, reversing a five-year trend

“The data is showing that we are getting out of a trend, five years where we were headed in the wrong direction, so this is really incredible news,” said Freeman.

Freeman credits safer cars being on the road and more motorists are buckling up.

“I think what plays a significant role is a 10% statewide increase in seatbelt usage, and that’s huge,” said Freeman.

In 2019, 88% of Louisianans used their seatbelts.

Another factor Freeman points out is that Louisianans are getting the message not to drink and drive.

“Thirty-nine-point six percent of all fatal crashes in Louisiana was estimated to be alcohol-related, that happens to be a decrease of almost 7.5% of the previous years,” said Freeman.

However, Freeman does point out that the number of distracted driving fatalities increased in 2019 by 158.

Reported by Brooke Thorington