LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — Louisiana State Police statistics show the agency worked 45 fatal car crashes across Acadiana in 2024, averaging one nearly every week. Those 45 crashes took the lives of nearly 50 people.

According to LSP, 29 of those crashes happened on state highways and 16 crashes happened on interstates. Although more happened on state highways, the deadliest roads were I-10, I-49 and US 90.

First Class Trooper Peggy Bourque said State Police only work crashes on state highways and interstates, but fatal crashes are “widespread” across all parishes.

“Each statistic is a family that is now grieving, that a first responder has to go out and knock on that family’s door and figure out how to tell them that their loved one’s not coming home,” Bourque said.

Here are the numbers of fatal accidents in each parish:

• St. Mary – 4
• Evangeline – 5
• Iberia – 9
• Acadia – 8
• St. Landry – 6
• Lafayette – 7
• Vermillion – 2
• St. Martin – 4

According to news releases on the LSP website, the top cause of these accidents is distracted driving.

“I hate calling them accidents because it’s not an accident,” Bourque said. “You have made a conscious decision when you got behind the wheel, whether that was to pick up your cell phone and send a text or scroll on Facebook.”

But distracted driving is not the only cause of fatal collisions.

“You’ve made a conscious decision not to buckle in your seatbelt,” Bourque continued. “You’ve made a conscious decision to drive distracted or tired or sleep deprived or whatever the case is. And all of those things lead to these fatal crashes.”

State Police are working to prevent new drivers from driving distracted with their Sudden Impact Program, a one-day class for high school sophomores.

“We just talk about all the things distracted driving, impaired driving and what we can do to make that better for them,” Bourque said. “Because unfortunately, the statistics show that younger drivers are more likely to get in a crash within six months of getting their license.”

Bourque said they host two sessions during the summer at Lafayette General.

“In my opinion, (this is) one of the best programs that we do,” she said. “Not only do we do the classroom portion, but as they get older, if the school allows, we’ll go there and do a mock crash at the school.”

“That is really, really huge for those kids because you can see it in their faces, how impactful it is for them,” Bourque continued. “Because they’re seeing their classmates involved in this, in this mock crash. And it’s really, really sobering for them.”

Bourque said they also have safety initiatives for the youngest passengers. Every Wednesday, from 8 a.m-noon, they install and inspect installation of car seats for free, at the LSP Troop I post at 121 E. Pont Des Mouton in Lafayette.

“We want to make sure that they’re okay and taken care of,” Bourque said.

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