Exploring Louisianaʼs most dangerous highways

When you plan your trip across Louisiana, you probably don’t give much thought to which road you take, other than determining what should get you to your destination soonest. Many people just put the destination into a GPS, assume that it has planned the best route, and then follow the instructions on the screen. You do have some who pick roads based on how scenic they are, but those are few and far between. Most people consider nothing but efficiency.

But could there be a safer way? When you decide what route to take, do you want to consider the most dangerous roads so that you can avoid them? This may make it easier for you to arrive at your destination without issue or injury.

Sorting through fatal accidents

Accidents resulting in catastrophic injuries are certainly life-changing and important, but for the sake of determining which roads are most dangerous, we’ll consider the most severe accidents: fatal crashes. When you do that, these are the roads that come out at the top, with the highest degree of risk:

• I-10: The 2019 statistics indicate that there were 136 fatalities in 121 crashes on this road alone. In 39 of these accidents, a drunk driver was involved.
• US-190: There were 54 fatalities in 48 crashes. Drunk drivers were involved in 12 of these accidents.
• I-20: There were 52 fatalities in 49 crashes. Drunk drivers were involved in 13 of these accidents.
• US-90: There were 52 fatalities in 50 crashes. Drunk drivers were involved in 21 of these accidents.
• SR-1: There were 48 fatalities in 45 crashes. Drunk drivers were involved in 15 of these accidents.

Why are these roads so dangerous? Researchers noted that I-10 is one of the most highly trafficked roads in the state. With those traffic levels, it’s just statistically likely that people are going to crash most often. It’s also the state’s longest interstate highway, so there are physically more miles for these crashes to occur.

Have you been injured or lost a loved one?

If you get involved in an accident on one of these roads, resulting in serious injuries or the loss of a loved one, be sure you know what legal options you have.