BATON ROUGE — For Jerome Byrd, a routine stop at the gas pump comes with a bigger reminder: the cost of driving in Baton Rouge goes far beyond the price of fuel.

“You need a four wheeler to ride up and down Baton Rouge roads, that's just how bad they is,” Byrd said.

Byrd said rough road conditions across the city have damaged not one, but two of his vehicles.

“They are just terrible,” Byrd said.

From bent rims to worn tires and expensive front-end repairs, Byrd said the damage continues to add up.

“They are killing my pockets, not only with the tires and rims, they tear up your front end. They are just terrible,” Byrd said.

A new report from ConsumerAffairs backs up those frustrations, ranking Louisiana as the seventh-worst state in the country for road conditions.

“Louisiana ranked seventh worst in the country for road conditions and it's pretty bad. It does affect every driver in the state,” Rodriguez said.

The report also highlights a safety concern, pointing to a connection between deteriorating road conditions and deadly crashes.

“Where the most pot holes are, but also where we're seeing the most traffic fatalities as well,” Rodriguez said.

State transportation leaders acknowledge the issue and say improvements are underway, though they warn progress will take time.

Glenn Ledet with DOTD said that they are aiming everyday to fix the roads and have several projects going on.

“The message to drivers is that you know we have a lot under construction so really be patient as we really invest in our roads and bridges,” Ledet said.

“Hopefully the orange cones are a sign of progress,” Ledet said.

For drivers like Byrd, that progress cannot come soon enough. Until then, Byrd said every trip on Louisiana roads comes with a cost.