Atlanta Truck Crash Reference

Crash reports and statewide data

Last updated . Sources checked

Contents
  1. An individual report
  2. Access and search details
  3. Dashboard versus report
  4. Related entries
  5. References
Crash reports and statewide data
Report formGeorgia Motor Vehicle Crash Report, GDOT-523[1]
State databaseGEARS[1]
GSP report requestsState Patrol post or DPS Open Records Unit[2]

Georgia crash-report research has two different starting points: an individual law-enforcement report and statewide crash data. GDOT identifies the Georgia Motor Vehicle Crash Report, GDOT-523, as the official document used to collect and disseminate crash data. It also manages the GEARS crash-report database and publishes a dashboard for examining patterns by place and crash type.[1]

An individual report

Start with the agency that investigated. APD's Central Records Unit holds reports created by Atlanta Police officers and offers a BuyCrash option. Fulton County Police similarly provides BuyCrash access for its reports but tells requesters to contact another agency directly if that agency responded. GDOT's statewide role does not make one city records counter the custodian for every metro crash.[3][4][1]

For GSP-investigated crashes, DPS directs requests to a State Patrol post or its Open Records Unit. DPS says its request form assists in locating records but is not required. A request for photographs or other DPS-held material should identify those records, rather than assuming an accident-report purchase includes every related item.[2]

Access and search details

Georgia Code section 50-18-72(a)(5), in the version effective July 1, 2026, addresses access to individual accident reports and written statements of need. It also provides that a person or entity named or identified in a report may receive a copy personally or through a lawyer or other representative. The text contains further categories and conditions; an online search is not a substitute for those access rules.[5]

Dashboard versus report

GDOT's dashboard provides mapping and filters for city, county or region and contains crashes over the last five years. It is a regional data tool, not the individual report-request process described by APD or DPS. Keep a statistical search separate from a request for a specific collision file.[1][3][2]

References

  1. abcde Crash Reporting. Georgia Department of Transportation. https://www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/pages/CrashReporting.aspx. official. Checked . Source record
  2. abc How do I submit an open records request?. Georgia Department of Public Safety. https://dps.georgia.gov/ask-us/how-do-i-submit-open-records-request. official. Checked . Source record
  3. ab Central Records Unit. Atlanta Police Department. https://www.atlantapd.org/services/central-records-unit. official. Checked . Source record
  4. ^ Obtaining a Police Report. Fulton County. https://fultoncountyga.gov/inside-fulton-county/fulton-county-departments/police/obtaining-a-police-report. official. Checked . Source record
  5. ^ Georgia Code section 50-18-72: public disclosure exceptions, version effective July 1, 2026. Justia, reproduction of Georgia Code. https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-50/chapter-18/article-4/section-50-18-72/. independent. Checked . Source record