Partner at Charbonnet Law Firm LLC
Practice Areas: Car Accident, Slip-and-Fall, Work-related Injury
Distracted driving continues to affect communities across Louisiana, including New Orleans. With more people multitasking behind the wheel, crashes linked to driver inattention remain a major safety concern. This review brings together national data, Louisiana-specific findings, and insights from long-term studies to help readers understand how widespread the problem is and why it continues to grow.
The information below highlights trends from sources such as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the National Safety Council, the Louisiana Strategic Highway Safety Plan, and LSU’s statewide crash analytics. It is designed to help Louisiana residents better understand the risks connected to distracted driving in everyday traffic.
Distracted driving includes anything that takes a driver’s eyes, hands, or mind away from the road. These distractions can be visual, manual, or cognitive.
While many people associate distraction with texting or scrolling on a phone, Louisiana crash data shows that talking with passengers is one of the most common causes of driver distraction. Other distractions include adjusting navigation, using hands-free devices, eating, or reacting to activity on the roadway.
These behaviors become more significant in urban areas like New Orleans, where dense traffic, pedestrian activity, and varied road types increase the chances of a crash. Understanding how these distractions affect driving helps explain the statistics found in long-term statewide reports.
National crash reports provide an important baseline for understanding how distraction affects road safety.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that distracted driving contributes to more than 2,800 deaths annually in the United States.
According to the National Safety Council, an estimated 700 people are injured every day in crashes involving driver distraction.
Across the country, distracted driving accounts for a notable share of fatal crashes. Each year, thousands of injuries are linked to situations where drivers were using a phone, interacting with passengers, or attempting to multitask behind the wheel.
Pedestrians and bicyclists are also frequently affected, highlighting the wide-ranging impact beyond vehicle occupants.
Teen drivers remain one of the most at-risk groups. Their higher use of electronic devices paired with inexperience often increases the chances of distraction-related crashes.
National studies also show that hands-free systems do not remove the cognitive load placed on drivers, meaning attention can still drift even without holding a phone.
Louisiana’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan and LSU crash data provide a detailed look at how distraction affects local roads. These insights highlight patterns in fatalities, serious injuries, and the conditions under which distracted driving accidents occur.
Louisiana’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan identified distraction as a factor in nearly 21 percent of statewide roadway fatalities in 2016.
Over the last decade, Louisiana has recorded fluctuations in distraction-related crashes. Although some years showed improvement, other years experienced sharp increases in fatalities or serious injuries.
Researchers found that distraction plays a role in crashes across all age groups, though teen and early adult drivers have higher involvement rates.
Statewide data also shows that distracted driving crashes occur more frequently on state highways and city streets. Time-of-day patterns reveal that afternoons and early evenings tend to see the highest number of incidents.
Seasonal patterns also appear, with certain months experiencing more distraction-related crashes than others.
The following table summarizes reported distraction-related fatalities and severe injuries, showing how the numbers shifted over time.
| Year | Fatal Crashes |
Serious Injuries |
Notable Trend |
| 2015 | 160 | 401 | Baseline data |
| 2016 | 147 | 444 | Fatalities slightly decreased; injuries rose |
| 2017 | 167 | 393 | Fatalities increased again |
| 2018 | 146 | 377 | Decline in both categories |
| 2019 | 178 | 410 | Significant statewide increase |
| 2020 | 128 | 417 | Pandemic-related decrease in fatalities |
This long-term view illustrates how Louisiana continues to face challenges with distracted driving even when certain years show improvement.
While city-specific datasets can sometimes be limited, trends across Orleans Parish generally align with statewide patterns. High-density traffic, pedestrian activity, and mixed-use roadways contribute to higher chances of distraction-related crashes in New Orleans.
Several contributing factors appear consistently in statewide and local reports:
Research also suggests that drivers underestimate how long their attention drifts when reading messages or interacting with devices, even briefly.
Louisiana regulates the use of mobile devices to reduce distraction on the road. These laws are designed to limit texting while driving and set additional restrictions for novice drivers.
The statewide texting law (La. R.S. 32:300.5) prohibits writing, reading, or sending text messages while operating a vehicle.
Hands-free rules apply in certain areas and situations, and penalties can vary based on the type of violation. These laws aim to limit risky behaviors and encourage safer road practices, especially in high-traffic regions like New Orleans.
Public safety groups emphasize awareness and education as effective tools for reducing distraction-related crashes. Simple changes such as setting navigation before driving, silencing notifications, or asking passengers for help can significantly reduce distraction risk.
Understanding the statistics behind these crashes helps drivers recognize why small distractions matter. Community education programs, safety campaigns, and enforcement efforts continue to play an important role in improving roadway safety across Louisiana.
It includes any activity that takes a driver’s eyes, hands, or attention off the road such as texting, talking, eating, or using in-car systems.
Reports show distraction contributes to a notable share of statewide crashes each year, including injuries and fatalities.
Teens use mobile devices more often and lack driving experience, which increases the likelihood of distraction.
Hands-free systems reduce manual distraction but still create cognitive distraction, which can affect reaction time.
Louisiana prohibits writing or reading text messages while driving and applies additional restrictions to new drivers.
Louisiana reports show the highest frequency between noon and midnight, especially during afternoon and early evening hours.
Distracted driving continues to affect residents across New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana, with long-term data showing how often driver inattention contributes to serious crashes.
Reviewing these patterns helps communities understand where risks are highest and how awareness can improve roadway safety. By recognizing the factors behind distraction and staying informed about statewide trends, drivers can make more mindful decisions on the road.
If you or someone you know has been harmed in a distraction-related crash, speaking with a New Orleans personal injury attorney can help you understand the next steps and what the process involves.
Charbonnet Law Firm, LLC offers free consultations to review the facts of your situation and provide clear guidance based on your circumstances.
With over 50 years of legal experience serving families in the New Orleans area and surrounding Louisiana communities, our firm takes pride in providing clients with personalized legal services tailored to individual needs.
