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Louisiana among best states for highway safety laws in latest report
Insurance industry, consumer safety groups issue the rankings annually
Cars and trucks move along the Cross Bronx Expressway in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Louisiana has some of the best highway safety laws in the nation according this year’s “roadmap” from an organization with backers in the insurance industry and consumer groups.
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety ranked the states as part of its “Out of Control” report, released Tuesday. It calls attention to a recent increase in fatal traffic accidents nationally.
Citing U.S. Department of Transportation data, the report said motor vehicle crash deaths jumped nearly 20 percent in the first six months of 2021. It was the largest increase in the history of the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
The report recommends 16 laws every state should have in place as part of a “comprehensive safety program.” They cover areas such as child passenger safety, teen and young adult drivers, impaired driving, and distracted driving.
Louisiana has 10 such laws in place. They include a minimum age of 16 to obtain a learner’s permit, nighttime and passenger restrictions and an open container law. One law Louisiana lacks is a booster seat requirement, according to the report.
Louisiana auto insurance rates climb despite law meant to keep them low
New York and Rhode Island topped the Advocates’ list with 13 qualifying laws in place, followed by the District of Columbia (12), Delaware, Maine, Oregon and Washington (11). California also enacted 10 of the laws.
Missouri and Wyoming tied as the worst states with three laws each.
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