More people died in traffic fatalities last year across metro Atlanta than by homicide, according to a new report.
There were 425 traffic-related deaths last year in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties — with DeKalb at the top of the list with 121 deaths.
That’s compared to 410 homicides across the same counties.
The report draws the comparison between the two, pointing out that traffic fatalities should be more preventable than violence, with proven safety upgrades that can prevent them.
“Homicide gets so much attention and it’s so challenging to solve because every murder is so distinct,” said Rebecca Serna, executive director of Propel ATL. “Whereas traffic fatalities — people killed just trying to cross the street or due to high speeds — the resolution to those underlying circumstances is so much simpler."
Credit: Courtesy of Propel ATL
Credit: Courtesy of Propel ATL
According to the analysis from Propel ATL, a group that advocates for safer roads, there was a decrease in total deaths compared to 2023 by just under 10%, but fatalities of pedestrians and cyclists increased 4% over 2023.
Fulton County has the highest number of serious injuries caused by traffic crashes out of the five counties — and the highest number of serious injuries of pedestrians and cyclists.
“This is not fate, it’s design,” Serna said. “It’s the way that decision makers have designed our streets to move cars through quickly and to minimize congestion — we get deaths and serious injury as a result.”
Racial disparities in the statistics are stark: 61% of all traffic fatalities last year occurred in predominantly Black neighborhoods, the report says.
“The burden of these crashes is not spread evenly,” Serna said.
Despite the dip in crashes from 2023, advocates say the numbers are still far too high. Traffic fatalities increased drastically during the pandemic, according to the report, and haven’t returned to pre-COVID levels.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
The findings show that despite efforts by local governments to improve safety on Atlanta’s roads, deaths caused by congestion and lack of safe infrastructure remain a prominent issue across urban areas.
A string of pedestrian deaths along Peachtree Street in Atlanta this year raised safety concerns related to traversing busy city streets and sparked calls for improvements ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Michael A. Crabtree, a 71-year-old Alabama man, and 67-year-old merchant Pradeep Sood were killed in separate accidents by vehicles driving on Peachtree Street — between Baker and Ellis streets — that had been part of a city-sponsored pilot program aimed at slowing traffic and reducing road racing.
The issue got further attention in July when Atlanta City Council member Jason Dozier, a staunch advocate for cyclist and pedestrian safety, was hit by a car while bicycling with his 4-year-old daughter. Neither was seriously injured.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
But completing improvements — even those already promised funding — has been a challenge in the city.
A recent audit on projects funded by the city’s sweeping Moving Atlanta Forward bond package found only about 15% of the $660 million approved by voters has been spent in the last four years.
Many of the scheduled safe street upgrades are still stuck in the planning phase. Council members, who adopted the “Vision Zero” action plan in 2023 aimed at reducing traffic fatalities, have frequently criticized the Atlanta Department of Transportation for not prioritizing safety upgrades during construction.
Serna said it’s discouraging to see pedestrian fatalities increasing in the city despite leadership’s legislative plan to reduce deaths.
“We have the most gridded streets, we have the most transit access, with the most people walking,” she said. “And yet we are really lagging behind on doing the things we know we need to do to save lives, and that’s incredibly frustrating.”
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