Table of Contents
Boasting a population of approximately 6.3 million people and growing, Atlanta is currently the nation’s sixth-largest metropolitan area.
This population increase does not come without growing pains, though, and nowhere are these pains felt more directly than on the city’s roads.
Between 2020 and 2024, over 167,000 traffic accidents of all types were recorded. If you are a resident of Atlanta or plan on visiting the area, it’s important to know which roads tend to see the most accidents and what you can do to protect yourself.
Why Driving in Atlanta Can Be Risky
The streets and highways that carry traffic through and around Atlanta are not equipped to handle the volume of cars, trucks, and other vehicles that use them daily. This is just one of several factors that the city’s most dangerous roads have in common. Other common factors can include:
- Poor road design that requires drivers to constantly change lanes or adjust speed
- Inadequate lighting at night
- Potholes and other defects that go unrepaired
- Inoperable, unreadable, or defective traffic signals and signs
- Road markings like fog lines and lane dividing lines that are faded
Beyond these, Atlanta’s public transit system is not robust enough to offer a meaningful transportation alternative to residents and visitors. As a result, people may feel like they have no other choice but to drive their private vehicles around the Atlanta metro area, which results in more congestion and a greater risk of accidents.
Atlanta’s Five Most Dangerous Roads
As Atlanta’s population continues to increase and the city’s budget and infrastructure struggle to keep up, you may find an increasing number of roads across the metro area with one or more dangerous characteristics. The following five roads tend to come with the most risk in the city:
1. The Downtown Connector
Running through the heart of downtown Atlanta is a 7.4-mile-long stretch of highway known as the Downtown Connector. This highway segment is sometimes referred to as the “Seventy-Five Eighty-Five” because it is a part of both Interstate 75 and Interstate 85. The Downtown Connector is a major north-south corridor for Atlanta vehicular traffic.
In 2024, there were 3,353 collisions on this road, or approximately nine per day. There were also 6 fatal accidents that year.
The number of accidents has decreased since 2021, but this highway remains one of the most dangerous in Atlanta. In fact, from 2020 to 2025, there were a staggering 17,423 accidents, including 7,894 injury wrecks and 41 fatal collisions.
2. Interstate 20
Running over 1,500 miles between Texas and South Carolina, Interstate 20 runs east-west through the south and west portions of Fulton County. Most notably, this highway runs near the Fulton Industrial Boulevard. Recognizing the dangers and challenges of this road has led officials to explore options for improving I-20.
The number of fatalities and overall traffic accidents on I-20 peaked in 2022. That year, there were 1,961 collisions on the highway, including 13 fatal wrecks, but since then, these numbers have decreased. Even so, there were still 1,627 car crashes in 2024, and four of these accidents resulted in at least one death.
3. Interstate 75
Along with Interstate 85, I-75 forms an integral part of the Downtown Connector that runs through the heart of downtown Atlanta. North of Downtown, this highway connects with I-285 at a major interchange known as the Cobb Cloverleaf. The stretch that runs through Fulton County is named the Horace E. Tate Freeway.
Over 7,500 car accidents have occurred on I-75 between 2020 and 2024, making this interstate the third-most dangerous road in the Atlanta metro area, statistics-wise. In the 27 fatal accidents that have occurred during this time, 29 people have died. Another 3,831 people have suffered injuries.
4. Interstate 285
You cannot discuss metro Atlanta’s most dangerous roads without mentioning I-285, “The Perimeter,” which also goes by a more ominous nickname: the “Circle of Death.” This major highway is approximately 63 miles in length and encircles the Atlanta metro area. Its route makes it a popular choice for drivers attempting to navigate around the city.
One feature of I-285 that makes it especially hazardous to travel is the road’s poor design. Motorists often have to make sudden lane changes and may not think to carefully check around them before doing so.
Between 2020 and 2024, there were no fewer than 6,054 traffic accidents, including 24 fatal wrecks that killed 25 people. In other words, this one highway bears witness to an average of 1,210 accidents and five fatalities every year. The year 2024 alone saw 1,192 total accidents, one of which was a fatal crash.
5. Piedmont Avenue and Piedmont Road
Piedmont Avenue begins in downtown Atlanta at Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and travels north through several neighborhoods. These include SoNo, Old Fourth Ward, and Midtown. At the intersection with Cheshire Bridge Road, this street changes its name to Piedmont Road, also known as State Route 237.
Although Piedmont Road passes under I-85, the street does not directly intersect with this or any other interstate. Nonetheless, 2,442 traffic collisions have occurred here between 2020 and 2024, including 585 in 2024 alone. This was the highest number of accidents recorded in a single year during these five years.
Thankfully, however, no fatalities have been reported on Piedmont Road since 2022.
Other Dangerous Roads in Atlanta
These five highways are by no means the only places where traffic wrecks occur. Drivers should exercise caution when traveling the following roads as well, due to the high number of accidents that have occurred on them over the past five years:
- Moreland Avenue: 2,155 accidents
- Peachtree Road: 2,003 accidents
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive: 1,982 accidents
- Northside Drive: 1,810 accidents
- Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway: 1,630 accidents
By contrast, some of the safest roads in the Atlanta area include Alice Street and Burton Road, each of which experienced, on average, fewer than ten accidents per year between 2020 and 2024.
Driver-Related Factors that Contribute to Wrecks
The most dangerous roads in Atlanta can become even more so when drivers engage in negligent or reckless behavior. Common examples of this include:
- Speeding over the limit or driving too fast in light of the weather and traffic conditions
- Driving while distracted by a cell phone, food, or passengers
- Operating a vehicle while impaired by alcohol, illegal drugs, or medications
- Not signaling before turning or making a lane change
- Ignoring right-of-way laws
Finally, large semitrucks and buses must use interstates when traveling to their destinations. Commercial drivers who are not paying attention to the road can cause a crash that severely injures or kills occupants of smaller passenger cars.
Why Contact Our Atlanta Car Accident Lawyers?
No matter where you are driving in Atlanta, you have the right to sue a motorist whose carelessness contributes to a crash that injures you. You may also have the ability to file a claim against city authorities if the dangerous characteristics of the road played a role in the accident.
You can count on us at The Dixon Firm to quickly yet thoroughly investigate your situation and help you explore your legal options for obtaining justice. As experienced advocates for Atlanta injury victims, our mission is to speak for you and protect your interests in and out of court. Contact us today to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation and take the first step toward your recovery.
