How safe are the roadways in Louisiana parishes?
(KTAL/KMSS) – A new study examined crash data in Louisiana and DeSoto Parish ranked number 10 among the riskiest areas of the state to drive as it relates to road fatalities.
The ranking was created by New Orleans-based Cueria Law Firm using data from the Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety. The data tracked road accidents across the state and compared the number of fatal crashes with the total number of fatal crashes in each parish.
While driving is not the most dangerous task that one can indulge in; a startling statistic shows that there was an average of three deaths per day on Louisiana Highways in 2021.
Louisiana State Police Troop G, which serves the state's seven most northwestern parishes including DeSoto has investigated 22 fatal crashes, 23 fatalities.
The ranking lists DeSoto Parish at number 10 with 5 percent of the crashes that happen there ending in fatality.
| Rank | Louisiana Parish | Fatal Crash Percentage |
| 1 | Caldwell | 8.70% |
| 2 | Winn | 8.60% |
| 3 | St. Helena | 8.20% |
| 4 | East Feliciana | 8.09% |
| 5 | Franklin | 8.02% |
| 6 | Catahoula | 8.00% |
| 7 | East Carroll | 7.32% |
| 8 | Grant | 7.30% |
| 9 | Allen | 5.74% |
| 10 | Desoto | 5.00% |
Brent Cueria of the Cueria Law Firm advises travelers throughout the state to "increase risks in areas that report high crash fatalities," and to "remain vigilant and drive carefully, especially in areas where severe weather conditions are prevalent."
The combination of dense fog and smoke from a marsh fire in south Louisiana led to mass casualties on Interstate 59 in late October.
Oppositely DeSoto's neighbor to the east Red River Parish is ranked number six among the safest with just 1% of crashes there ending in fatality.
The full ranking of Louisiana parishes below:
| Parish | Fatal crash percentage | Ranking |
| Tensas | 0.00% | 1 |
| Cameron | 0.00% | 2 |
| West Feliciana | 0.00% | 3 |
| St. Bernard | 0.82% | 4 |
| Jefferson | 0.84% | 5 |
| Red River | 1.00% | 6 |
| West Carroll | 1.10% | 7 |
| Bossier | 1.15% | 8 |
| Lafayette | 1.23% | 9 |
| Orleans | 1.25% | 10 |
| Union | 1.32% | 11 |
| Lincoln | 1.35% | 12 |
| Iberia | 1.43% | 13 |
| West Baton Rouge | 1.49% | 14 |
| East Baton Rouge | 1.52% | 15 |
| Calcasieu | 1.56% | 16 |
| St. Mary | 1.57% | 17 |
| Terrebonne | 1.58% | 18 |
| Richland | 1.65% | 19 |
| St. Charles | 1.73% | 20 |
| Caddo | 1.74% | 21 |
| Ouachita | 1.78% | 22 |
| Claiborne | 1.79% | 23 |
| Ascension | 1.79% | 24 |
| Rapides | 1.94% | 25 |
| St. James | 1.94% | 26 |
| St. Tammany | 2.05% | 27 |
| St. Landry | 2.13% | 28 |
| Livingston | 2.35% | 29 |
| Iberville | 2.36% | 30 |
| St. John The Baptist | 2.42% | 31 |
| Vermilion | 2.59% | 32 |
| Pointe Coupee | 2.68% | 33 |
| Webster | 2.73% | 34 |
| Morehouse | 2.75% | 35 |
| Natchitoches | 2.79% | 36 |
| Acadia | 2.84% | 37 |
| Vernon | 2.94% | 38 |
| Jackson | 2.99% | 39 |
| Tangipahoa | 3.00% | 40 |
| Beauregard | 3.03% | 41 |
| Assumption | 3.07% | 42 |
| St. Martin | 3.07% | 43 |
| Avoyelles | 3.35% | 44 |
| Plaquemines | 3.36% | 45 |
| Evangeline | 3.49% | 46 |
| Madison | 3.68% | 47 |
| Lasalle | 3.74% | 48 |
| Washington | 3.88% | 49 |
| Lafourche | 3.91% | 50 |
| Jefferson Davis | 4.31% | 51 |
| Bienville | 4.44% | 52 |
| Concordia | 4.62% | 53 |
| Sabine | 4.68% | 54 |
| Desoto | 5.00% | 55 |
| Allen | 5.74% | 56 |
| Grant | 7.30% | 57 |
| East Carroll | 7.32% | 58 |
| Catahoula | 8.00% | 59 |
| Franklin | 8.02% | 60 |
| East Feliciana | 8.09% | 61 |
| St. Helena | 8.20% | 62 |
| Winn | 8.60% | 63 |
| Caldwell | 8.70% | 64 |
Methodology: The fatal crash percentage was calculated using the number of fatal crashes as a percentage of each parish’s overall number of crashes in 2022 and 2023.