Metro Atlanta truck crash statistics: Roadway departure crashes (2020-2024)

Deaths and fatal crashes by year

For 2020, crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures in metro Atlanta took 20 lives in 19 fatal crashes. The 2021 count for truck crashes coded as roadway departures in metro Atlanta was 25 deaths from 24 fatal crashes. For 2022, crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures in metro Atlanta took 25 lives in 25 fatal crashes.^[1][2][3]

The 2023 count for truck crashes coded as roadway departures in metro Atlanta was 17 deaths from 17 fatal crashes. For 2024, crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures in metro Atlanta took 24 lives in 20 fatal crashes.^[4][5]

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA MSA (CBSA 12060, 29 counties). Crashes involving a large truck (ACC_AUX A_LT = 1). 2024 is the FARS Annual Report File.

Who died

Of the deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures in metro Atlanta, 33 were in the "People in the large truck" category, or 29.7% of those deaths. Of the deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures in metro Atlanta, 73 were in the "People in other vehicles" category, or 65.8% of those deaths. In crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures in metro Atlanta, 5 deaths were in the "Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping)" category, 4.5% of the total for 2020 through 2024.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

For truck crashes coded as roadway departures, the FARS nonoccupant grouping is a technical person classification rather than a literal outside-vehicle test, because its other category can include occupants of motor vehicles not in transport, such as parked vehicles.^[8][9]

How the crashes happened

The manner of collision recorded as "Angle" covers 12 deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures, a share of 10.8%. The manner of collision recorded as "Head-on" covers 39 deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures, a share of 35.1%. The manner of collision recorded as "Sideswipe" covers 11 deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures, a share of 9.9%.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The manner of collision recorded as "Not a collision with a motor vehicle in transport" covers 49 deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures, a share of 44.1%. For truck crashes coded as roadway departures, a motor vehicle in transport can be stopped in traffic, so the collision category is not a test of whether another vehicle was physically moving. By time of day, 70 deaths in crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures were recorded under "Daytime (6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.)", 63.1% of the metro Atlanta total for this group.^{[1][2][3][4][5][8][9]}

By time of day, 41 deaths in crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures were recorded under "Nighttime (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.)", 36.9% of the metro Atlanta total for this group. By land use, 82 deaths in crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures were recorded under "Urban", 73.9% of the metro Atlanta total for this group. By land use, 29 deaths in crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures were recorded under "Rural", 26.1% of the metro Atlanta total for this group.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Where in the metro area

In Fulton County, 15 deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 13.5% of the metro Atlanta count for this group. In Bartow County, 13 deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 11.7% of the metro Atlanta count for this group. In DeKalb County, 13 deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 11.7% of the metro Atlanta count for this group.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

In Gwinnett County, 7 deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 6.3% of the metro Atlanta count for this group. In Clayton County, 6 deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 5.4% of the metro Atlanta count for this group. In Douglas County, 6 deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 5.4% of the metro Atlanta count for this group.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

In Fayette County, 5 deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 4.5% of the metro Atlanta count for this group. In Forsyth County, 5 deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 4.5% of the metro Atlanta count for this group.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Up to 8 counties with 2 or more deaths in this selection, ordered by death count descending and then by county FIPS code ascending. Counts use recorded crash location. Additional qualifying counties, including counties tied at the cutoff, can be omitted.

Interstate routes

Interstate route records cover 38 deaths in truck crashes coded as roadway departures, or 34.2%, under the route-coded interstate definition. On I-75 inside metro Atlanta, crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures accounted for 13 deaths over 2020 through 2024. On I-285 inside metro Atlanta, crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures accounted for 10 deaths over 2020 through 2024.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

On I-85 inside metro Atlanta, crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures accounted for 7 deaths over 2020 through 2024. On I-20 inside metro Atlanta, crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures accounted for 6 deaths over 2020 through 2024. The interstate figures for truck crashes coded as roadway departures use crashes with the route signing coded Interstate and an I-route number in the trafficway identifier, so they describe recorded route signing rather than a highway's full extent.^{[1][2][3][4][5][9]}

Routes with 2 or more deaths in this selection. Route-coded definition: ROUTE coded Interstate and an I-route number in TWAY_ID.

The trucks involved

The vehicles in crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures included 111 large trucks, and 61 of those were truck-tractors, counts of vehicles rather than deaths. For truck crashes coded as roadway departures, a truck-tractor is NCSA body type 66 in the FARS vehicle file, a cab with or without trailing units, and one crash can involve more than one large truck.^{[1][2][3][4][5][9]}

About these figures

Truck crashes coded as roadway departures are the crashes that NHTSA's auxiliary crash file codes 1 on the crash-level variable A_RD, "Involving a Roadway Departure (FHWA definition)". The figures for crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures come from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, which covers crashes involving a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public, with a death within 30 days of the crash. The counts for crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures are grouped by the recorded location of the crash, not by where the people killed lived.^[8][9][10]

The 2024 data for crashes involving a large truck coded as roadway departures are the FARS Annual Report File, which is subject to change, and NHTSA calls the later version the Final File. No traffic volume or mileage is divided into the truck crashes coded as roadway departures counts, so they record deaths and crashes and make no statement about how likely a crash was.^[9][10]

See also

• Metro Atlanta truck crash statistics: Crashes involving a pedestrian (2020-2024)
• Metro Atlanta truck crash statistics: Crashes involving a motorcycle (2020-2024)
• Metro Atlanta truck crash statistics: Speeding-related crashes (2020-2024)
• Metro Atlanta truck crash statistics: Intersection crashes (2020-2024)
• Metro Atlanta: jurisdictions and records