What Are the Odds of Dying in a Car Crash in Louisiana?

It’s a morbid question, but it’s one that’s crossed the minds of many drivers and passengers: what are the chances of dying in a car accident? A quick Google search will give you an array of answers. For example, the National Safety Council (NSC) reported as of 2019 that the average American’s lifetime odds of dying in a car crash are 1 in 107. Those odds are calculated by using mortality, population, and life expectancy data from sources like the National Center for Health Statistics, the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program, and the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Chances of Dying in a Car Accident in Your Lifetime

1 in 107 are simple, comprehensible odds to the human brain. In essence, it means that during your lifetime, you have about a 0.9% chance of dying in a car crash. To put that into perspective, your chances of dying as a result of heart disease or cancer are 16.7% and 14.9%, respectively. 

According to the NSC, you are more likely to die because of chronic lower respiratory disease, suicide, opioid overdose, or a slip and fall than in a car accident. Still, traffic accidents are among the top eight most common causes of death in America.

Odds of Dying in a Car Crash In a Given Year

When you zero in on different aspects of the data regarding fatal automobile crashes, the odds can vary quite dramatically. For example, if instead of focusing on your lifetime odds of dying in a wreck, you focus on the chances of dying in a car crash in a given year, you’ll find that the odds increase significantly in your favor.

In 2019, there were 39,107 people killed in car crashes out of a total U.S. population of 328, 239,523 people. Therefore, the average American had about 1 in 8,393 odds of being killed in a car crash that year—in other words, only a 0.012% chance.

Chances of Being Killed in a Car Wreck in Louisiana

It’s important to note that the odds presented by the National Safety Council reflect your overall chances of being killed in a car crash in the U.S. For more in-depth data on fatal accidents in the state of Louisiana, we turned to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data tables published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

According to those statistics, 727 people died in Louisiana car accidents out of a population of 4,649,000 people in 2019. The average Louisiana resident, then, had a 1 in 6,395 chance of dying in a car accident in 2019. 

Without access to additional mortality data for the state of Louisiana, we can’t say what the lifetime odds of dying in a car accident are. We can, however, extrapolate that drivers and occupants in New Orleans and elsewhere in Louisiana were 31.2% more likely to die in a car accident in 2019 than the average American. And when it comes to sobering car accident statistics, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Fatal Accidents Account for Just 1.5% of All Injury Crashes

The good news is that by wearing a seat belt, following traffic laws, avoiding driving under the influence, and keeping distractions out of your vehicle, the risk of dying in a car crash can be mitigated. The bad news? Being injured in a car accident is still a strikingly common occurrence.

There were 727 people killed in Louisiana car accidents in 2019. But according to the Louisiana Traffic Records Data Report 2019, that figure is a drop in the bucket compared to the total number of people injured in car accidents in 2019, which clocked in at 72,500. 

That’s equivalent to nearly 200 people injured in accidents every day for the entire year. In total, as many as 1 in 64 Louisianans were injured in a car accident in 2019.

Injured in a Car Accident in Louisiana? Call Mike Brandner

The consequences of fatal car accidents are undeniably devastating. Mike Brandner Law has worked with many grieving family members who have lost their loved ones to wrongful death resulting from a car accident. In addition, our personal injury lawyers have represented countless victims who suffered injuries in automobile accidents. Even for those who recover from their injuries, moving forward after a crash can be difficult. Mounting medical bills, and lost wages, plus pain and suffering can take a major toll on accident victims and their families.

That’s why Mike Brandner Law is available 24/7 to provide legal assistance to those who have been injured in a car, motorcycle, or large truck accident in Louisiana. You could be entitled to significant compensation from the at-fault party or their insurance company. Of course, insurance companies may not always want to pay their fair share. Our legal team can help you gather evidence, pinpoint the optimal legal strategy for your unique case, and negotiate a fair settlement.