Key Takeaways:
- The deadliest 10-mile stretch in Louisiana is on I-10 in New Orleans between South Norman Francis Parkway and Bundy Road, with 44 fatal crashes over a five-year period.
- Four of the deadliest stretches are in or around New Orleans, with others in Baton Rouge and Lafayette.
- Six of the deadliest road stretches in Louisiana are found on I-10. I-12, which runs parallel to I-10 through the northern side of Baton Rouge and the Northshore, appears three times in the rankings.
Every year, fatal crashes take place across Louisiana’s roadways. Sometimes, it only takes witnessing the aftermath of one tragic crash to make a stretch of road stick in your mind as somewhere to be extra cautious. While personal experiences shape how drivers view these routes, data allows us to measure the danger more precisely.
To identify Louisiana’s most deadly road segments, we analyzed five years of fatal crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), covering 2019 through 2023. We mapped these crashes onto overlapping 10-mile segments along interstates and major highways, then ranked them based on the number of fatal collisions.
Read on to see which road stretches ranked among the most fatal in Louisiana.
[Interactive Map] Deadly Highway Stretches
The map below is interactive; zoom in and hover over each stretch to reveal more information.
I-10 & I-12 Dominate the Deadliest Road Stretches in Louisiana
Below is our ranking for the road stretches in Louisiana with the highest number of fatal crashes between 2019 and 2023. Each stretch indicates fatal crash and fatality count, along with the nearest city where the segment is located. For more details on the specific start and end points, a written overview of each stretch by the nearest city follows below.
New Orleans
New Orleans accounts for four of the nine most deadly highway segments in Louisiana, all located along I-10. The most fatal stretch statewide is a 10-mile portion of I-10 between South Norman Francis Parkway and Bundy Road, where 44 fatal crashes and 46 deaths were recorded over five years. This stretch passes through Mid-City and provides access to major destinations such as the French Quarter, University Medical Center, Mardi Gras World, Smoothie King Center, Caesars Superdome, and the New Orleans Lakefront Airport.
A second deadly stretch runs through Jefferson Parish, from Williams Boulevard to South Cortez Street, ranking third overall with 17 fatal crashes. While technically outside New Orleans proper, it lies just west of the city and remains a key part of the metro’s roadway system.
Another high-risk corridor appears within Orleans Parish, running from Wright Road to the Frank Davis Memorial Bridge, with 14 fatal crashes, tying for sixth place.
St. Tammany Parish (Northshore)
Two deadly segments fall within St. Tammany Parish, part of the Northshore region northeast of New Orleans. A segment of I-12, just north of Lake Pontchartrain but still within the broader New Orleans metro, makes the list. This stretch, from North Military Road to the Frank Davis Memorial Bridge, had 14 crashes and 15 fatalities, tying for fourth place.
Another stretch on I-12, ranked ninth. It runs from Big Branch Bayou near State Route 434 to I-59, recording 13 fatal crashes over the five-year period.
Baton Rouge
The Baton Rouge area also features prominently in the rankings. The second-deadliest stretch statewide is on I-12, running east from I-10 to the Corporal Shawn Kelly Memorial Boulevard exit, with 29 fatal crashes and 32 deaths. This segment begins at the I‑10/I‑12 split, a major interchange known for congestion, lane weaving, and heavy vehicle volume. Along this 10-mile corridor, key exits like Essen Lane (Exit 1B/C) provide access to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, one of the largest hospitals in the state.
Another Baton Rouge segment appears in eighth place: a 10-mile stretch of I-10 between North Lobdell Highway and Essen Lane, with 13 fatal crashes and 14 fatalities. This stretch also provides access to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center. It serves as a key commuter route, linking LSU’s campus, the Highland Road neighborhoods, and downtown Baton Rouge to the eastern suburbs. Daily backups during peak hours are common, as several Reddit users have described.
One more Baton Rouge-adjacent stretch straddles Livingston Parish, continuing toward Hammond. Located on I-12, ahead of South Frost Road towards Pumpkin Center Road, this corridor recorded 13 crashes and 17 deaths, placing seventh.
Lafayette
The only road segment in southwest Louisiana to make the top list is found in the Lafayette metro area. Located on I-10 between Louisiana Avenue and Grand Point Highway in St. Martin Parish, this 10-mile stretch tied for fourth place, with 14 fatal crashes and 15 deaths.
Methodology
This analysis is based on data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). We collected all fatal crashes across Louisiana’s road network between 2019 and 2023.
Fatal crashes were mapped, and using a rolling window approach, we scanned the highways in 10-mile segments to find the stretches with the highest concentration of fatal crashes. These were identified and ranked by crash totals, with total fatality count used as a tiebreaker.
Fair Use Statement
You are welcome to reference or share this analysis. If you do, please include a link to the original report so others can access the full dataset and methodology.