2007 Louisiana Traffic Records Data Report

Schneider, H. · 2008 · ROSA P / Louisiana State University. Highway Safety Research Group

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Summary

The 2007 Louisiana Traffic Records Data Report, prepared by Helmut Schneider at Louisiana State University, analyzes traffic safety trends and crash statistics for the state. The report addresses the magnitude of traffic crashes, their economic impact, and key contributing factors such as alcohol impairment and safety belt usage. It aims to provide a comprehensive overview of fatal, injury, and property-damage-only crashes to inform safety policies and resource allocation. The study utilizes traffic reports received prior to May 20, 2008, covering data from 2001 to 2007. Methods include normalizing crash counts by vehicle miles traveled (VMT), licensed drivers, and population to assess trends. Alcohol-related crash estimates employ a data mining algorithm developed at LSU to impute missing blood alcohol concentration (BAC) values, which may differ from Federal Highway Administration reports. Economic costs are calculated using National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 2000 cost estimates, adjusted for inflation and weighted by injury severity frequencies in Louisiana. In 2007, Louisiana recorded 895 fatal crashes, 987 fatalities, 78,900 injuries, and 110,659 property-damage-only crashes, resulting in an estimated economic cost of $6.18 billion. Fatal crash counts increased slightly by 0.6% from 2006, while injury crashes decreased by 1.2%. Alcohol was a primary factor, with 49% of traffic fatalities estimated to be alcohol-related. Safety belt non-use was prevalent, with 68% of occupants who died not wearing a safety belt. Pedestrian fatalities increased by 8.1% to 107, while motorcycle fatalities decreased by 6.4%. The report notes that the mandatory helmet law enacted in 2004 correlated with increased helmet use (83% in 2007) and a reduction in the percentage of motorcycle drivers killed in crashes. The findings highlight that alcohol impairment and low safety belt compliance remain critical issues in Louisiana traffic safety. The report underscores the effectiveness of the mandatory helmet law in reducing motorcycle fatalities and suggests that continued enforcement of occupant protection laws is necessary. The data also reveal that while overall fatality rates per 100,000 population decreased slightly, the rate per 100,000 licensed drivers increased, indicating complex trends in road safety relative to driver demographics. The report serves as a baseline for evaluating future safety interventions and policy changes.

Key finding

In 2007, 49% of traffic fatalities in Louisiana were estimated to be alcohol-related and 68% of occupants killed did not use safety belts.

Methodology

dataset

Provenance

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Topics

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• incidence prevalence
• demographic disparities
• fatality injury trends
• comparative international

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes, observational prevalence