Many North Georgia residents commute in and around Atlanta on a daily basis. The Atlanta area, a major metropolitan sprawl, is no stranger to car accidents, many of them deadly. But, are Georgia residents putting themselves in a more dangerous situation than they even realize when they take the Atlanta bypass?
According to a recent news article, the answer may in fact be, “yes.” The article, which focused on a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association from 2013, states that there were an astounding 26 fatal accidents on I-285 that year. That is an average of over two deadly accidents per month on that highway. A total of 29 people died in those car crashes that year.
The article notes that on a per-mile basis, the rate of deadly accidents on I-285 in 2013 was the highest in the nation. Another deadly bypass was I-240 around Memphis, in neighboring Tennessee. Of all of the top five deadliest highways in 2013, all were bypasses around major metropolitan areas, including the famous “Capital Beltway,” I-495, surrounding Washington, D.C. Besides having the deadliest highway in the country in 2013, Georgia also ranked highly in the overall rate of fatal car accidents that year. According to the recent report, Georgia was seventh in the nation in terms of deadly car accidents in 2013.
A number of different factors could be leading to the unusually high rate of deadly accidents in Georgia, but it would be difficult to speculate. Each car accident is unique, so for those individuals who do suffer injuries in an accident, it is important to have the case evaluated carefully.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “America’s deadliest interstate is in Georgia, study says,” Ana Santos, Nov. 7, 2015