Metro Atlanta truck crash statistics: Urban (2020-2024)

Deaths and fatal crashes by year

For 2020, crashes involving a large truck at locations classed as urban in metro Atlanta took 74 lives in 64 fatal crashes. The 2021 count for truck crashes at locations classed as urban in metro Atlanta was 70 deaths from 69 fatal crashes. For 2022, crashes involving a large truck at locations classed as urban in metro Atlanta took 87 lives in 77 fatal crashes.^[1][2][3]

The 2023 count for truck crashes at locations classed as urban in metro Atlanta was 63 deaths from 55 fatal crashes. For 2024, crashes involving a large truck at locations classed as urban in metro Atlanta took 62 lives in 57 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 at locations classed as urban in metro Atlanta, 47 were in the "People in the large truck" category, or 13.2% of those deaths. Of the deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban in metro Atlanta, 242 were in the "People in other vehicles" category, or 68.0% of those deaths. In crashes involving a large truck at locations classed as urban in metro Atlanta, 67 deaths were in the "Nonoccupants (FARS person-type grouping)" category, 18.8% of the total for 2020 through 2024.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

For truck crashes at locations classed as urban, 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 "Rear-end" covers 105 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban, a share of 29.5%. The manner of collision recorded as "Not a collision with a motor vehicle in transport" covers 106 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban, a share of 29.8%. The manner of collision recorded as "Angle" covers 88 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban, a share of 24.7%.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The manner of collision recorded as "Head-on" covers 37 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban, a share of 10.4%. The manner of collision recorded as "Sideswipe" covers 16 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban, a share of 4.5%. The manner of collision recorded as "Other" covers 4 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban, a share of 1.1%.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

For truck crashes at locations classed as urban, 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, 170 deaths in crashes involving a large truck at locations classed as urban were recorded under "Daytime (6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.)", 47.8% of the metro Atlanta total for this group. By time of day, 184 deaths in crashes involving a large truck at locations classed as urban were recorded under "Nighttime (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.)", 51.7% of the metro Atlanta total for this group.^{[1][2][3][4][5][8][9]}

By time of day, 2 deaths in crashes involving a large truck at locations classed as urban were recorded under "Time not reported", 0.6% of the metro Atlanta total for this group.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Where in the metro area

In Fulton County, 65 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 18.3% of the metro Atlanta count for this group. In DeKalb County, 54 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 15.2% of the metro Atlanta count for this group. In Gwinnett County, 40 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 11.2% of the metro Atlanta count for this group.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

In Cobb County, 34 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 9.6% of the metro Atlanta count for this group. In Clayton County, 23 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 6.5% of the metro Atlanta count for this group. In Bartow County, 22 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 6.2% of the metro Atlanta count for this group.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

In Douglas County, 19 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 5.3% of the metro Atlanta count for this group. In Henry County, 18 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban were recorded over 2020 through 2024, 5.1% 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 and recorded crash location. Additional qualifying counties can be omitted.

Interstate routes

Interstate route records cover 164 deaths in truck crashes at locations classed as urban, or 46.1%, under the route-coded interstate definition. On I-75 inside metro Atlanta, crashes involving a large truck at locations classed as urban accounted for 56 deaths over 2020 through 2024. On I-20 inside metro Atlanta, crashes involving a large truck at locations classed as urban accounted for 38 deaths over 2020 through 2024.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

On I-285 inside metro Atlanta, crashes involving a large truck at locations classed as urban accounted for 35 deaths over 2020 through 2024. On I-85 inside metro Atlanta, crashes involving a large truck at locations classed as urban accounted for 28 deaths over 2020 through 2024. On I-575 inside metro Atlanta, crashes involving a large truck at locations classed as urban accounted for 3 deaths over 2020 through 2024.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

On I-985 inside metro Atlanta, crashes involving a large truck at locations classed as urban accounted for 2 deaths over 2020 through 2024. The interstate figures for truck crashes at locations classed as urban 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 at locations classed as urban included 348 large trucks, and 193 of those were truck-tractors, counts of vehicles rather than deaths. For truck crashes at locations classed as urban, 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 at locations classed as urban are selected by the land use that NHTSA's auxiliary crash file assigns to the crash location, attribute code 2 (Urban). The figures for crashes involving a large truck at locations classed as urban 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 at locations classed as urban 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 at locations classed as urban 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 at locations classed as urban 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: Rural (2020-2024)
• Metro Atlanta: jurisdictions and records