Where Does Louisiana Land in Road Rage Rankings? Hint: It’s Not Good
Louisiana drivers landed in the top five nationwide in a new road rage and aggressive driving analysis that used federal crash data, putting the state right behind New Mexico, Montana, Missouri, and Texas.
The study, conducted by Utah-based personal injury law firm Steele Adams Hosman using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), gave Louisiana a road rage score of 81.22, ranking the state No. 5 overall.
What Pushed Louisiana into the Top Five
The numbers behind Louisiana’s ranking point to two familiar trouble spots on busy corridors like I-10, I-12, I-20, and US-90: distracted driving and speeding.
In the analysis, distracted driving stood out as Louisiana’s most critical issue, with 54 vehicles per 100,000 people involved in fatal distracted driving crashes and 31 fatalities per 100,000 tied to distracted driving.
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Speeding also played a major role, with 55 vehicles per 100,000 involved in fatal speeding crashes and 39 deaths per 100,000 attributed to speeding.
The same report also flagged firearm-related road rage incidents in Louisiana, listed as 2 per 100,000 people over the study’s timeframe.
Why it Feels Like Everyone is Seeing it
If it seems like tempers are shorter at stoplights and on the ramps, national survey data backs up that feeling. An October 2024 survey by The Zebra found 96% of motorists witnessed at least one aggressive driving behavior in the prior six months, while 66% admitted doing something aggressive themselves.
Running a red light or stop sign was the most frequently witnessed behavior.