Various roads and interstates in Louisiana experience far higher collision rates than most other thoroughfares. When looking at the overall number of collisions that occur, the number of vehicles involved and the severity of the consequences for the affected individuals, certain roads are clearly more dangerous for the public than others.
When talking about the most dangerous roads in Louisiana and the New Orleans area, Interstate 10 or I-10 almost inevitably comes up. In fact, experts looking at statewide crash reports named I-10 East between Exit 231A and 239B as the most dangerous section of road in the entire state. Between 2018 and 2020, there were 13 deadly crashes on this 4.7-mile section of highway, more than on any other single stretch of road in the state.
Why is I-10 such a dangerous route?
The volume of traffic
As one of the highways that stretches all the way from the West Coast to the East Coast, I-10 is a major corridor. It brings heavy traffic through the state of Louisiana that just so happens to travel through New Orleans, resulting in very heavy traffic density at relatively high speeds. Drivers coming from Texas or Alabama may enter the state on I-10 and may cross through the state as quickly as possible if their destination is elsewhere. There are also plenty of commercial trucks traveling through and across Louisiana that use I-10 as part of their route. So much traffic and so many commercial vehicles inevitably cause a large number of crashes, many of which are very severe.
Extreme and multi-car collisions
High speeds, big differences in vehicle sizes and bad weather can all combine to produce absolutely devastating collisions. I-10 sees more than its fair share of multi-vehicle collisions and deadly crashes. Sections of the interstate outside of urban centers may not have much lighting, and the interstate can become even more dangerous during times of inclement weather.
Motorists often can’t avoid driving on I-10 entirely unless they want to substantially lengthen their travel. However, they very likely can be a bit more cautious on I-10 if they understand the level of risk they have on that route in particular. Understanding where crash risk is highest and why may help drivers make safer choices about which routes they take.
