Louisiana Motorcycle Fatality Statistics
Louisiana reported 91 traffic fatalities for 2015. This number is somewhat higher than previous years, with the exception of 2009 when there were 103 deaths. In 2014, there were 83 reported and 86 for 2013. This information comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Of those deaths, 78 were wearing helmets while 12 were not and one was unknown. Louisiana does have a universal helmet law, which means that all riders are required to wear a helmet, regardless of age. The state had a usage rate of 87 in 2015, which saved 47 lives. Another five lives could have been saved with 100 percent helmet wear.
Louisiana had 114,242 motorcycle registrations in 2014 with a fatality rate per 100,000 of 72.65. While this number is rather high, it is following a declining trend, which is good news.
The majority of fatality victims in motorcycle crashes in 2015 were in the 30-39 age range with 23. Another 19 were between 20 and 29. Only two deaths that occurred were under the age of 20.
Over half of the parishes in Louisiana reported at least one motorcycle fatality in 2015, but the majority of them reported five or fewer. Only one county had more than five. Orleans Parish reported 11 for the year, which was a slight increase from nine the year before. The central and southern portion of the state had more fatalities than the northern. Plaquemines Parish reported one after having several years with zero. Terrebonne Parish reported two for the year as did Lafourche. The difference between the two was that Terrebonne was up from one for the year before while Lafourche was down from three. In the western portion of the state, Jefferson Davis Parish reported two, which was up from one for the year before.