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Sept. 9, 2025 – The number of people killed on Louisiana roads in 2024 dropped to its lowest level in five years as more people buckled up and fewer people died in drunk driving crashes, the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission announced Tuesday.
The statistics were released Tuesday in a presentation by Dr. Helmut Schneider, executive director of the Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety (CARTS) at LSU.
While traffic deaths have leveled off nationally from their Covid-era numbers, Louisiana’s fatality numbers appear to be dropping at a faster rate than the rest of the country.
In 2024, 753 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in Louisiana, a 7.2% reduction, according to CARTS. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration says fatalities dropped 3.8% across the country in 2024.
Louisiana’s 2024 fatality rate –– people killed per 100 million miles traveled –– was at an all-time low of 1.37. The national rate in 2024 was 1.20.
While Louisiana’s fatality rate is still above the national average, that gap is shrinking. In 2014, Louisiana’s rate was 41.7% higher than the national rate. In 2024, that national gap has narrowed to 14.2%.
LHSC Executive Director Lisa Freeman said Louisiana’s record low fatality rate “shows we are moving in the right direction, but we still have work to do. There are still too many people dying because of impaired drivers and non-seat belt usage. We will not be satisfied until our rate reaches zero.”
In 2024, 261 people who were not wearing seat belts were killed in crashes, compared to 302 in 2023. That 13.6% drop in unrestrained traffic deaths aligns with a 2024 LHSC observational survey showing a record high of 88.4% of vehicle occupants in Louisiana are buckling up.
According to CARTS, 161 people died in crashes involving a drunk driver in 2024, an 18.3% decrease from 2023. Meanwhile, DWI arrests increased by 4.3%, with law enforcement officers arresting 13,675 people in 2024.
The uptick in DWI arrests is “likely due to an increase in enforcement,” rather than an increase in the number of drunk drivers, Dr. Schneider said.
The 2024 Louisiana crash data also show:
- 69 people were killed in motorcycle crashes, representing a 28.9% decrease from 2023 and an all-time low in Louisiana.
- 44 bicyclists were killed, compared to 35 in 2023.
- 161 pedestrians were killed, compared to 147 in 2023.
- 102 people were killed in interstate crashes, representing a 26.6% reduction from 2023.
- 14 children ages 12 and under were killed in crashes, compared to 25 in 2023.
For more information about the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, please visit www.lahighwaysafety.org.
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