Metairie Road Safety Overview

Louisiana has a poor reputation for road safety. Baton Rouge and New Orleans are among the country’s five most dangerous cities for drivers. Vehicle owners in these cities report traffic accidents to their insurers roughly once every seven years. In the safest cities in the country, policyholders often go 12 or more years between car accidents.

Metairie, LA’s road safety numbers do not guarantee a crash. However, you should exercise caution when driving in the area because of the risks. Understanding the circumstances of car accidents in Metairie will give you an idea of what you need to watch for while in the city.

Metairie Road Safety Statistics

Louisiana State University provides statewide traffic crash analysis through its Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation Safety (CARTS). The CARTS data tool offers detailed statistics about crashes across the state and within parishes. It gives only basic data about crashes within city limits.

Since Metairie is an unincorporated area within Jefferson Parish, CARTS does not give any statistics for this metro area. Instead, it lumps Metairie’s statistics with the rural Jefferson Parish, even though this city has over 140,000 residents. Because its population dominates the parish, the statistics given for rural Jefferson Parish approximate what happens in Metairie.

Car Crash Outcomes in Metairie

Using the numbers from CARTS, Metairie had approximately 2,844 traffic accidents in 2023 that caused injury or death. 

Specifically, the metro area had:

• 27 fatal crashes
• 2,817 non-fatal injury crashes

These crashes caused the following outcomes:

• 28 deaths
• 4,110 non-fatal injuries

Across the entire parish, the majority of those killed were motorists. Ten pedestrians and two bicyclists were also killed after being hit by cars.

According to injury statistics for Jefferson Parish:

• 95.7% of those injured were motorists
• 2.4% were pedestrians
• 1.6% were bicyclists

The remaining accident victims were sitting in parked cars or riding in the beds of pickup trucks.

Sedans, SUVs, and pickup trucks were the most common vehicles involved in traffic crashes in the parish in 2023. But the metro area also had 116 truck crashes involving commercial motor vehicles and 88 motorcycle crashes.

Metairie Car Crash Causes

Roughly 60% of fatal crashes and 25% of non-fatal injury crashes in Louisiana are single-vehicle accidents. 

These crashes happen when a vehicle:

• Strikes a fixed object, such as a building, parked car, or bridge support
• Runs off the road
• Rolls over

The remaining crashes involved a multi-vehicle collision. 

These crashes often resulted from the following driving errors:

• Inattentive or distracted driving
• Failing to yield the right of way
• Following too closely
• Running a stop signal or sign

By far, the most common traffic violation, according to CARTS, is inattentive or distracted driving. 

Common causes of this dangerous driving behavior include:

• Texting
• Daydreaming
• Eating or drinking
• Talking on the phone or to passengers
• Entering information into a stereo system or electronic device
• Reaching for a dropped object

Trying to multitask while driving interferes with a driver’s ability to see and react to traffic, road, and weather conditions. When drivers do not devote their full attention to driving, they risk hitting vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists.

Intersection crashes happen when a driver fails to yield the right of way to another vehicle. 

Examples of this violation include the following:

• Proceeding through an intersection out of turn
• Turning left across the path of an oncoming vehicle with the right of way
• Turning right into traffic without waiting for a gap

Intoxicated driving continues to be a problem in Louisiana. In Jefferson Parish, over 500 drivers were involved in drunk driving crashes. In 2023, most of the fatal crashes in the parish involved a drunk driver, according to CARTS.

Navigating Metairie Roads and Intersections Safely

You can drive on Metairie’s roads safely. While the traffic accident statistics paint a grim picture, they are not as bad as those for New Orleans or Baton Rouge. Knowing when and where traffic accidents happen can help you avoid a crash in Metairie.

Dangerous Times To Drive

The most dangerous day of the week to drive in Louisiana is Friday. This makes sense because Friday has weekday commutes in the morning and afternoon, as well as evening drivers who may be tired or intoxicated.

Sunday had the fewest overall crashes. But it also had the highest number of fatal crashes. This suggests that drivers in Metairie tend to drive carelessly when the roads are empty.

Crashes tend to spike at two times during the day on weekdays. Crashes peak between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and again between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. These times correspond to the morning and afternoon commutes.

Finally, certain holidays are more dangerous for drivers than others. As you might expect, Mardi Gras and Halloween are the holidays with the most crashes. The holiday with the highest number of fatalities is Memorial Day.

Unsafe Roads and Intersections in Metairie, LA

Road crashes often happen when drivers hit another vehicle while stopping, changing lanes, or turning. These crashes usually involve a rear-end or sideswipe collision. Rear-end collisions can result from tailgating, speeding, and distracted driving. Sideswipes can occur when drivers change lanes without checking their blind spots.

Locations in Metairie where road crashes frequently happen include:

• I-10 between North Causeway Blvd. and Veterans Blvd.
• North Causeway Blvd., between 43rd St. and 39th St.
• North Causeway Blvd., between 26th St. and 27th St.
• Ridgelake Dr., between 34th St. and 35th St.
• Edenborn Ave., north of I-10

Intersection crashes result from a failure to yield the right of way. Impatient drivers may go through an intersection without waiting. These crashes can also occur when distracted drivers fail to pay attention to signs, signals, or traffic. 

Intersections where crashes happen in Metairie include:

• Esplanade Blvd. and Houma Blvd.
• Power Blvd. and Kawanee Ave.
• I-10 at the Veterans Blvd. exit
• Green Acres Rd. and Veterans Blvd.
• Clearview Pkwy. and Veterans Blvd.

These intersections are also the busiest in Metairie. Therefore, you might find it difficult to avoid them while you drive around the city.

Safe Driving on Roads in Metairie, Louisiana

Metairie has its road safety issues. Crashes tend to involve distracted or intoxicated driving. They also tend to occur around intersections. However, watching for erratic driving and exercising caution will help you safely use the city’s roads.

Do you have questions about road safety in your city?,  Contact us and we’ll get back to you.