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America's deadliest interstate is in Georgia, study says

There were 2,867 fatal accidents on major American interstates in 2013, according to a study by the National Highway Traffic Association. That’s about 32 a day.

Vox complied data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to rank the country’s deadliest interstates.

The results show that I-285 in Georgia had more fatal accidents per mile than any other interstate in 2013.

The interstate surrounding the city of Atlanta had a total of 26 fatal accidents resulting in 29 deaths that year.

 Top 5 interstates for fatal accidents per mile in 2013

  1. I-285 in Georgia
  2. I-710 in California
  3. I-240 in Oklahoma
  4. I-495 in Delaware
  5. I-240 in Tennessee

Georgia is the seventh-worst state in the country for fatal car accidents in total (1,085 incidents in 2013). Texas ranked no. 1, with 3,044 deaths in 2013.

I-285 has been the scene for several high-profile deaths this year.

In January, a 53-year-old woman was struck by multiple vehicles and killed while walking across I-285 westbound. Two weeks later, a 28-year-old man was fatally struck by a car after walking across the interstate after pulling over in the emergency lane.

Read more information and find a complete list of deadliest interstates in the U.S. here.

The Georgia Department of Transportation told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that they have not reviewed the study yet and could not issue a comment.

More facts about highway safety

  • Car occupants were 40 percent of all motor vehicle crash deaths in Georgia in 2013. Pickup and SUV occupants were 28 percent and pedestrians were 15 percent.
  • Most motor vehicle crash deaths in Georgia occurred in urban areas (53 percent) in 2013.
  • Most deaths by car crashes in Georgia resulted from single-vehicle wrecks (59 percent), higher than the national average of 57 percent in 2013.
  • In 2013, the National Transportation Safety Board investigated four carriers involved in crashes that, together, resulted in 25 deaths and 83 injuries.
  • Georgia did 20 percent fewer truck inspections from 2011 to 2014, and removed 30 percent fewer trucks and drivers from the road for violations.
  • Gov. Nathan Deal moved to spend $10 million in 2013 to add 60 road safety inspectors back to the roads.

WSBTV

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