Louisiana set a record last year for the fewest motor vehicle crash injuries, but 2020 also produced the most fatalities since 2008. Louisiana Highway Safety Commission spokesperson Mark Lambert says the pandemic resulted in fewer cars on the road, which resulted in fewer crashes, but there were more high-risk drivers.
“They engaged in more risky behavior, such as speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving and not wearing there seat belts,” said Lambert.
According to the Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety at LSU, 828 people were killed in crashes involving motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians. Lambert says the data found that bicycle crash fatalities increased by more than 54%.
“We were seeing a lot more of these crashes at night, so a lot of people were on their bikes and again we are looking at a lot more risky behavior,” said Lambert.
Lambert says pedestrian fatalities were up by 19%. He says these statistics are in line with national figures that show a sharp increase in fatalities even though there were fewer drivers on the road because of the pandemic.
“We were seeing more speeding, we were seeing more impaired driving, more aggressive driving, and unfortunately we were seeing a lot more fatalities than we normally do,” said Lambert.
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