BATON ROUGE - Just days after Gov. John Bel Edwards established a statewide task force to take on infrastructure issues, a regional coalition has released a study that ranks Baton Rouge as the second most dangerous city in the nation for motorists.

The Capital City ranked behind only Detroit in the study. The 2015 edition of the study placed Baton Rouge in the third worst position for average annual commuter traffic delay among mid-size cities. BR was also ranked No. 11 in worst road conditions.

The report was put together by CRISIS, a Baton Rouge area regional business-led group that pushes for transportation improvements.

“Yet another report has independently verified what Baton Rouge area drivers unfortunately already know based on experience, which is that our roads are not only the worst in the state but among the worst in the nation for traffic congestion, road conditions, and now safety for drivers, according to this new study,” said Scott Kirkpatrick, executive director of CRISIS.  “We thank Governor Edwards for establishing a much-needed task force on these issues and look forward to working with the task force to address the uniquely multifaceted challenges facing the Baton Rouge Area.”

Analysis behind the ranking took into account the risks for those who drive in nearly 200 of the nation’s most populous cities. Number of car crashes and number of fatal accidents determined which cities were safest, and which cities were potentially the most deadly.

Baton Rouge recorded 38 fatal crashes in 2014. While Detroit’s number of fatal wrecks dwarfed the Capital City’s at 110 accidents, the study notes that Baton Rouge’s population is much smaller. The city’s rate of 16.6 fatal crashes per 100,000 residents was the highest in the analysis.

A total of five metrics were used to score the population centers including the rate of fatal crashes, the likelihood of an accident relative to other cities, the number of years between accidents, the risk of auto larceny and the risk of having a vehicle stolen.

More info about CRISIS can be found at www.trafficcrisis.com.