In a recent study compiled by an injury law firm, researchers mapped and recorded data illustrating where Georgia’s most dangerous roads are located.
The answers may surprise you.
The Study
In an effort to pinpoint inherently unsafe stretches of road in Georgia, Butler Wooten & Peak law firm teamed up with data visualization firm 1Point21 Interactive. Using information from the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System, they compiled a map demonstrating the most dangerous roads in Georgia.
These roads have higher rates of fatality, leading to the logical question of “why?”
The Roads
Among the 57 roads the firm pointed to, 460 fatalities occurred from 2013 to 2015.
Perhaps what surprised experts most wasn’t the staggering amount of fatal crashes (427); it was the fact that many of the roads are located in Atlanta.
In fact, Atlanta possesses 6 of the top 10 deadliest roads in the study and 13 from the entire list of 57. Those 13 roads accounted for almost a quarter of the fatalities studied.
Why So Many Crashes in Atlanta?
Several factors have given rise to the high number of crashes in Atlanta.
Much of the infrastructure issues center on the immense growth Atlanta has enjoyed. The structure has become so bad the city ranked eighth for congestion on a list of 1,064 cities around the world.
The metro system, MARTA, has historically been unable to find the funding needed for friendly public transportation and is usually blocked from spreading into more areas. With the sheer mass of Atlanta’s population, most of whom travel an average of 12.8 miles for a typical commute, that means almost all 5.7 million individuals in the metro area are forced to travel via roadways.
Supporting this hypothesis are studies indicating that approximately 3% of Atlanta citizens utilize public transportation.
Adding to the numbers are drivers from surrounding areas or those traveling through the Atlanta region. To give you an idea of just how many people are traveling, consider an estimate about the Downtown Connector, a 7-mile stretch of road: Georgia’s Department of Transportation believes more than 437,000 people drive on it each day.
I-285, which encircles the city, was even ranked the deadliest road in America by the National Highway Traffic Association.
How Can This Information Help?
“Not only can surveys like these impact driver decisions,” says an attorney from Atlanta Car Accident Lawyer, “but they can also advise government officials of necessary changes.”
Driving in the Atlanta region certainly comes with risks, and informing the public of potential danger zones may reduce the likelihood of crashes. Further, it may give officials the nudge they need to identify and fix dangerous stretches.
After all, if continual crashes occur in a certain area, it should be a red flag that changes should be integrated.
The American Society of Civil Engineers states, “America’s roads are often crowded, frequently in poor condition, chronically underfunded, and are becoming more dangerous.”
Evaluating and assessing them is the first step towards safety.