Baton Rouge Ranks Among Nation’s Most Dangerous Cities For Night Driving



BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  (LAAN 54) — Baton Rouge has one of the highest shares of fatal crashes occurring after dark in the country, according to a September 2026 study of nighttime traffic safety in 280 U.S. cities.

The Hines Law study found 173 fatal crashes occurred in darkness in Baton Rouge from 2020 through 2024, with 79 pedestrians killed during nighttime crashes.

About 70% of the city’s fatal crashes occurred after dark, one of the highest rates identified in the study. Researchers found 188 people were killed in nighttime crashes during the five-year period.

The study calculated nighttime fatality rates using city populations and examined crashes recorded by police as occurring in darkness. It also considered fatal crashes occurring on roads without street lighting and pedestrian deaths.

Researchers noted that speeding was involved in about 18% of Baton Rouge’s nighttime crashes examined in the study.

A Hines Law legal expert said nighttime crashes can be influenced by driver fatigue, impaired driving and excessive speed. The expert recommended reducing speed, maintaining clear windshields and watching carefully for pedestrians along the edges of roadways.

Baton Rouge ranked third nationally for dangerous nighttime driving, behind Memphis, Tennessee, and Jackson, Mississippi.

The research was provided by Hines Law. Data should be credited to Hines Law at hineslaw.org.

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