States › Louisiana › Routes › US Route 61
US Route 61
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 240Deaths 267Counties 9Latest data year 2024
FARS data are based on police crash reports and other sources; the drunk-driving measure is based on the highest BAC of any driver in the crash. Latest data year: 2024. The route is the trafficway recorded for each crash (FARS TWAY_ID); the same route number in another state has its own page.
Between 2015 and 2024, FARS records 240 fatal crashes on US Route 61 in Louisiana, with 267 deaths.
That is 3.2% of the 7,467 fatal crashes in Louisiana over the same years. The ten-year crash count rose 45% from 166 in 2005–2014 to 240 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in East Baton Rouge Parish (115), Ascension Parish (30) and St. John the Baptist Parish (29) and 6 other counties.
25.8% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Louisiana: 30.9%) and 18.8% had a speeding-related driver (22.4%); pedestrians were 29.2% and motorcyclists 7.5% of those killed.
Fatal crashes per year
Route identification in FARS is consistent from 2000; earlier years are not shown. Shaded band: the ten-year window used for the shares below.
Compared with all fatal crashes in Louisiana
| Measure | US Route 61 | Louisiana |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 240 | 7,467 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 267 | 8,045 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 3.2% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | +45% | 0% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-61 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Baton Rouge Parish | 115 | 48% | 677 |
| 2 | Ascension Parish | 30 | 13% | 221 |
| 3 | St. John the Baptist Parish | 29 | 12% | 95 |
| 4 | Jefferson Parish | 28 | 12% | 302 |
| 5 | West Feliciana Parish | 10 | 4% | 20 |
| 6 | St. Charles Parish | 9 | 4% | 69 |
| 7 | St. James Parish | 8 | 3% | 48 |
| 8 | Orleans Parish | 7 | 3% | 520 |
| 9 | East Feliciana Parish | 4 | 2% | 67 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 61 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Louisiana share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 0–5 | 38 | 16% |
| Mile 75–80 | 35 | 15% |
| Mile 70–75 | 22 | 9% |
| Mile 5–10 | 18 | 8% |
| Mile 60–65 | 15 | 6% |
| Mile 20–25 | 10 | 4% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 99.2% of crashes on the route have a milepoint. Milepoints are as recorded by the state and can restart at county or district lines.
Other routes in Louisiana
- Interstate 10 472
- US Route 90 298
- US Route 190 187
- State Route 1 173
- Interstate 20 169
- Interstate 12 147
- Interstate 49 118
- US Route 165 115
- US Route 167 107
- US Route 71 98
- US Route 171 88
- State Route 182 78
All routes and counties in Louisiana
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on US Route 61 in Louisiana?
240 fatal crashes with 267 deaths over 2015–2024, per NHTSA's FARS. The route is the trafficway recorded for the crash; the same numbered route in another state has its own page.
Which counties along US Route 61 had the most fatal crashes?
East Baton Rouge Parish (115), Ascension Parish (30), St. John the Baptist Parish (29), Jefferson Parish (28) and West Feliciana Parish (10).
What share of crashes on US Route 61 involved alcohol or speeding?
25.8% had a driver reported as drinking and 18.8% a speeding-related driver, against 30.9% and 22.4% for all fatal crashes in Louisiana.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 61?
63.0% of the crashes were between 6pm and 6am. The hour chart on this page shows the full distribution.
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, annual national CSV files 2000–2024 (accident, vehicle and person tables), public domain. Route pages are built for signed Interstate, US and state routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in 2015–2024. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026. See methodology and corrections.