WEST BATON ROUGE- A fatal crash Thursday evening in West Baton Rouge Parish is renewing focus on the role cable barriers play in improving safety on Louisiana highways.

Troopers with Louisiana State Police said an 18-wheeler traveling eastbound on Interstate 10 left the roadway, rolled through the median, crossed the westbound lanes and crashed into a ditch. The driver died at the scene.

For more than 15 years, the National Transportation Safety Board has encouraged states to install barriers along roadways where high-speed traffic moves in opposite directions.

Officials with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development say cable barriers are designed to catch or redirect vehicles that leave the roadway, helping reduce dangerous crossover crashes.

“We’ve seen cable barriers help save lives,” DOTD spokesperson Rodney Mallett said.

According to the department, Louisiana has installed more than 730 miles of cable barriers along major highways and interstates across the state.

“Now we have more than 730 miles of cable barriers across the state on our major highways and interstates, and so far other U.S. highways,” Mallett said.

Mallett said cable barriers had previously been installed along Interstate 10 in West Baton Rouge Parish but were temporarily removed as part of a milling and overlay project. He said the barriers may not have prevented Thursday evening’s crash.

State police said the cause of the crash remains under investigation. Their preliminary report noted driver impairment is suspected, though officials say that term can cover a range of possibilities, including a potential medical issue.

Mallett said regardless of whether barriers are present, drivers should continue following basic safety practices on the road.

“Don’t drive distracted, wear your seat belt — all of the rules of the road still apply,” Mallett said, adding that while cable barriers have significantly reduced crossover crashes, “there’s always the potential for something bad to happen.”

Transportation officials say safety features like cable barriers are part of a broader effort to reduce serious and deadly crashes across Louisiana highways.