Louisiana receives a green light for having nine critical traffic safety laws on the books. The Bayou State is one of seven listed as a “best state” in the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety report. Tara Gill, the Director of State Programs, says the ignition interlock offender law for convicted drunk drivers is one reason Louisiana scored high.
Distracted driving has been the cause of many fatalities and Gill praises the efforts of the state in enforcing no texting while driving legislation. She says there’s more that can be done to discourage cell phone use while driving.
757 traffic fatalities were reported in Louisiana in 2016, many of those were young children. Gill says while the state ranks well in many areas, it’s critical Louisiana enforce better child restraint laws.
It’s estimated the annual economic cost due to motor vehicle crashes in Louisiana is nearly 5.7-billion-dollars.