Fatalities, poor maintenance, bad drivers. Why does Louisiana have the 7th worst roads?
In a recent study Louisiana was ranked seventh in the nation for the most dangerous roads.
The ranking is calculated by fatality rate per 100,000 people, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, the fatality rate per 100,000 licensed drivers and road danger rating.
Louisiana fell within the top ten worst states in the United States. The data to create this ranking was collected by the Federal Highway Administration.
While Louisiana is ranked 7th in the nation for its dangerous roads, when it comes to road quality it is ranked 2nd worst. Louisiana scored a 1.16 on the road quality index.
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14.35% of roads in Louisiana are affected by high levels of rutting.
Road quality and maintenance is also a component of road safety. When a road surface is worn out drivers often will notice their vehicles have less grip and traction, resulting in longer braking distances and a higher likelihood of skidding off-course.
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Erin Buchanan, Public Information Officer for the LaDOTD Bossier City office said, "each decision that is made regarding the design, construction, and ongoing maintenance of our roads is made with safety at the forefront."
"Any ranking that describes roads as “dangerous” must also come with context. For example, simply compiling a list of crash numbers with serious injuries or fatalities fails at taking a comprehensive look at the contributing factors for each crash, which is crucial. What we find most often is that errors in driver behavior is what contributes to crashes."
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Drivers who ignore speed limits or drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs are just two examples of dangerous drivers that put law-abiding road users at risk.
Louisiana's fatality rate per 100,000 people is 17.78 and 1.71 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The highest rating to fatality rate per 100,000 licensed drivers topped off at 24.23.
In 2022, Northwest Louisiana has had 15 fatal crashes that have resulted in 16 deaths.
Buchanan said, "we analyze crash reports to determine if there are safety improvements that can be made. DOTD is continually looking for ways to supplement safety measures that are already in place and improve the geometrics, traffic configurations, and other components of our roadways in order to do our part in helping to prevent crashes."
Buchanan said drivers must do their part in operating their vehicles.
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Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Louisiana has 7th most dangerous roads. What do drivers need to know?
