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Sept. 5, 2024 – The Louisiana Highway Safety Commission has released statistics that show fewer fatalities from motor vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle crashes on Louisiana roads last year, suggesting the Covid-era spike may be over.
The crash data show 811 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2023. That represents 10.5% fewer fatalities than in 2022.
The fatality rate –– the number of people killed per 100 million miles traveled –– dropped to 1.46 in 2023, according to statistics from the Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety at LSU. That represents an 8.7% rate drop from 2022 and the lowest fatality rate since 2019.
Pedestrian fatalities, which grew at an alarming rate during the pandemic, were down to 147 in 2023, a 19.7% decrease, and bicycle fatalities dropped from 44 to 35. Both pedestrian and bicycle fatalities remained higher than the five-year pre-Covid levels, possibly because more people started walking and biking during the pandemic and have continued those routines.
Motorcycle fatalities showed a year-to-year increase, from 90 to 98, the statistics show. The 2023 motorcycle fatality count also includes 3-wheeled motorcycles, autocycles, and motorized bicycles, or mopeds.
LHSC Executive Director Lisa Freeman said she is optimistic that fatalities will decline even further, but she said the numbers are still too high.
“We still see too many people driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, too many distracted drivers, too much aggressive driving, and not enough seat belt usage,” Freeman said. “Those four human behaviors are responsible for about 85% of our non-pedestrian fatalities.”
The latest seat belt survey shows 88.4% of Louisiana drivers and passengers are wearing seat belts. This new seat belt usage rate is the highest rate ever recorded in Louisiana and is up a significant three percentage points from last year.
Wearing a seat belt has been proven to improve the chances that motor vehicle occupants survive and avoid serious injuries in a crash. Even though fewer than 15% of Louisiana drivers and passengers did not wear seat belts in 2023, that group of vehicle occupants comprised more than 48% of all people killed in crashes on Louisiana roads, the statistics show.
“We are encouraged that the latest seat belt survey shows that Louisiana drivers and passengers are buckling up more than ever before,” Freeman said. “Using seat belts and properly installed child safety seats is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash.”
Next, the number of people killed in a crash involving a driver with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or higher dropped to 195, a 13.3% decrease from 2022 and the fewest since 2020. Freeman pointed out that law enforcement campaigns such as “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and the strong messaging behind those campaigns made a difference in 2023.
“Our law enforcement partners made 13,133 DWI arrests last year, the most since 2019,” Freeman said. “They were, literally, working overtime in 2023 to take impaired drivers off the road, and we are seeing the positive results of that effort.”
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