Baton Rouge, Louisiana Has the Highest Number of Drunk-Driving Deaths, Second Worst Drivers in America

BATON ROUGE, La. (KPEL News) - In yet another ranking that bodes ill for Louisiana, the state capital turns out to be one of the worst places for drivers in the country, and tops the list of highest rate of drunk driving deaths.

The latest report from ConsumerAffairs places Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at No. 2 in the country for worst drivers. What's more, the rate of drunk driving fatalities in the city is 2.2 times the national average.

That stat makes it the worst in America.

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Here's what ConsumerAffairs said leads to all the problems on Baton Rouge's roads.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

According to our analysis, Baton Rouge has the highest rate of fatal accidents involving drunk drivers. At a little more than 10 per 100,000, it’s more than double the national average (4.8 per 100,000).

Compared with New Orleans, which ranks 61st for worst drivers, Baton Rouge has twice the rate of fatal car crashes and almost twice the rate of total road fatalities. People are also more likely to speed and get in a fatal accident in Baton Rouge.

Some places have bad drivers, and others have bad roads — Louisiana has both. Residents across the state told us about “horrific” road conditions.

ConsumerAffairs also broke down the city's "Crash Score."

Baton Rouge crash score: 73.8

-Fatal crashes caused by bad driving per 100K population: 20.7
-Total fatal crashes caused by bad driving: 46
-Total car crash fatalities: 80
-Total pedestrian fatalities: 19
-Fatalities due to positive BAC per 100K population: 10.4
-Percentage of fatal accidents linked to speeding: 18.8%

What Makes Baton Rouge Drivers "Bad Drivers"?

ConsumerAffairs looked at several ways to classify "bad driving," including the following:

-Aggressive driving
-Careless driving
-Driving the wrong way on a one-way traffic way
-Failure to yield the right of way
-Following improperly
-Improper or erratic lane changing
-Making an improper turn
-Operating the vehicle in an erratic, reckless or negligent manner
-Operator inexperience
-Passing where prohibited

Making matters worse is the condition of the roads in Louisiana. ConsumerAffairs ranked the state the third-worst in the nation when it comes to the quality of our roads, which may only surprise people if they thought we'd be ranked higher.

Bad driving, drunk driving, and road quality can make for a dangerous combination, which puts Baton Rouge in a really ugly light.