Car crashes cause thousands of severe injuries each year, including spinal cord injuries and brain injuries. They are also one of the most common causes of death in the United States for people of all ages, including infants.
A variety of factors influence how risky it is for someone to drive or ride in a vehicle. Someone’s health and experience at the wheel are considerations that influence their risk, as is the time of day or the time of year when someone drives. The maintenance of a vehicle and the use of restraints can also influence someone’s risk of dying in a vehicle collision. Beyond that, location can actually factor very heavily into overall collision risk.
There are certain roads and intersections that experience more crashes than others due to traffic volume and design. There are also certain locations where crashes seem to occur more frequently or have more serious consequences. For example, according to research looking at crash rates in recent years, Baton Rouge actually has the most deadly crashes of any city in the United States.
What does the research show?
When looking at nationwide reports of fatal crashes between 2017 and 2021, Baton Rouge stands out as the deadliest city for drivers based on population. During those four years, there were 284 traffic deaths. That means there were 25.49 fatal crashes per 10,000 residents. Memphis, Tennessee and Macon-Bibb County in Georgia took second and third place on the list respectively.
Factors including personal habits, such as chemical impairment and distraction, as well as road design, all play a role and the likelihood of a collision resulting in a tragedy. Obviously, those who live in Baton Rouge or nearby cannot simply avoid driving in the city because of the overall risk. However, they can take that heightened risk into consideration when making choices about when and how they operate motor vehicles.
Actively seeking to minimize one’s collision risk is a smart move for someone living in a high-risk area like Baton Rouge. Ultimately, a failure to take heightened safety risks seriously can be the worst mistake that someone ever makes.