Louisiana highway deaths reach lowest level in five years
Plus — Louisiana 2025-26 deer season opens Saturday.
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Bossier City forecast
🟨 Today 🌤 Mostly sunny with a slight chance of PM showers ⛈ 🌡 High: 94°F 💨 Wind: NW 5 mph → Light & variable tonight 🌧 Rain chance: 20% ☁️ Cloud cover: 🌤 → 🌙
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Louisiana highway deaths reach lowest level in five years
The number of people killed on Louisiana roads in 2024 reached its lowest level in five years, with fatality numbers dropping faster than the rest of the country, the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission recently announced.
Motor vehicle crashes in Louisiana caused 753 deaths last year, a 7.2% reduction from 2023 and a bigger decline than the national rate of 3.8%, according to data from the Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety.
Helmut Schneider, the center’s executive director, shared the new statistics in a presentation at Louisiana State University.
Lisa Freeman, executive director of the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission, said the lower fatality rate “shows we are moving in the right direction, but we still have work to do.”
“We will not be satisfied until our rate reaches zero,” she said.
The statistics showed 88% of vehicle occupants use a seatbelt in Louisiana and a 18.3% decrease in DWI-related deaths.
While DWI deaths went down, DWI arrests increased 4.3%, to 13,675 people in 2024. The spike is “likely due to an increase in enforcement” rather than an increase in the number of drunk drivers, Schneider said.
The statistics also show an all-time low for people killed in motorcycle crashes in Louisiana, with 69 deaths. It represents a 28.9% decrease from 2023.
However, the numbers also showed an increase in bicycle-related and pedestrian deaths, with 44 cyclists killed compared with 35 in 2023 and 161 pedestrians killed compared to 147 in 2023.
– By Elise Plunk/Louisiana Illuminator
Domestic violence incident follow-up: BCPD officers recovering
Two Bossier City police officers are recovering, a woman is dead, and a man is in critical condition following a domestic violence incident Sunday.
"We are grateful to share that both are doing well, in good spirits, and eager to begin their recovery journey at home once they are released from the hospital," BCPD said in a social media post. "We ask our community to continue to keep them in your prayers, as well as the other victims who were affected during Sunday’s incident."
Sunday, officers responded to a "welfare check" after receiving information from concerned family members that a male subject reported that he "had done something bad to his wife" and was having thoughts of harming himself. Upon arrival, officers discovered the subject had barricaded himself inside the residence.
During the course of the investigation, two officers were injured and transported to a local medical facility for non-life-threatening injuries. A short time later, a suspect was taken into custody and transported to a local medical facility.
Temporary water service interruption: Chandler Road, Haughton
Water service to residents along Chandler Road in Haughton has been temporarily interrupted due to an accidental break in the water line.
Monday, a SWEPCO crew struck a water main in the 200 block of Chandler Road, resulting in a disruption of service to homes located between the 200 and 900 blocks.
The Consolidated Waterworks/Sewerage District #1 is working to complete repairs and restore service as quickly as possible. Once service is restored, a mandatory boil advisory will be in effect for all affected residents until further notice.
Louisiana 2025-26 deer season opens Saturday
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has announced that the 2025-26 Louisiana deer hunting season will begin Saturday in Deer Areas 3, 7, 8 and 10 when archery season opens.
Archery seasons in the other state deer areas will begin Oct. 1. To see exact opening dates in all areas, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/seasons-and-regulations.
Deer hunters are required to have a basic hunting license and deer license, or an equivalent combination. A youth hunting license and deer tags are required for those 17 or younger hunting deer. To purchase a hunting license, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/hunting-licenses-permits-tags.
Prior to hunting deer, all deer hunters, regardless of age or license status, must obtain deer tags. They must have the tags in their possession while hunting deer, and immediately after harvesting a deer, the hunter must tag the deer with the appropriate carcass or electronic tag before moving it from where it was killed. Hunters must record required information for tagged deer and validate tags within 72 hours of harvesting a deer.
Hunters may validate deer by utilizing text-to-tag, tagging through the LDWF web portal or the LDWF web portal via LA Wallet or by calling the validation toll free number. Hunters harvesting deer on DMAP lands should follow the instructions provided to them by LDWF. To obtain deer tags and to validate tags online, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/deer-tags.
Many LDWF Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) offer deer hunting during the state-wide deer season, due to the different deer ruts, deer season opportunities are wide-ranging. WMAs in west Louisiana offer great early season opportunities. Similar late season success is best on bottomland hardwood WMAs near the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers. For a complete list of WMAs open to deer hunting and more information on WMA deer hunting, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/assets/Resources/Publications/Regulations/25-26-LDWF-Hunting-Regs-sm.pdf.
All visitors to LDWF WMAs must have either a WMA Access Permit, Senior Hunting/Fishing License, Louisiana Sportsman’s Paradise License or Lifetime Hunting/Fishing License. Go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/wmarefugeconservation-area-licenses-and-permits for more information.
For more information on deer hunting in Louisiana, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/subhome/deer or contact LDWF Deer Program Manager Johnathan Bordelon at jbordelon@wlf.la.gov.
Bossier news: Independent, conflict-of-interest-free news coverage
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