Most Dangerous Highways in Georgia

Georgia’s beautiful and varied terrain includes coastal towns, scenic farmland, and gracious Savannah, one of the nation’s iconic historic cities. Georgia attracts visitors from around the country. The state also includes busy urban areas like Atlanta and Macon and a thriving freight industry that makes the state a bustling mecca of large commercial trucks. Georgia’s combination of tourism, industry, and densely populated cities makes the state challenging for drivers. 

Car and truck accidents in Georgia resulted in 1,786 fatalities in the state in 2022. For those living in The Peach State or planning a visit, our team of specialized Atlanta personal injury attorneys share helpful information on which Georgia highways are the most dangerous in Georgia.

Interstate I-75 in Georgia

I-75 is one of the country’s essential highways, running from Hialeah, Florida all the way to Northern Michigan near the Canadian border. Around 300 miles of this major interstate runs through Georgia, including through the Atlanta metro area, bringing heavy traffic congestion with it. 

I-75 is one of the deadliest highways in the U.S. including a high number of car accidents and commercial truck accidents with serious injuries and fatalities.

Despite current efforts to regulate truck speeds and other interventions meant to address traffic congestion, experienced car accident attorneys in Atlanta know that I-75 remains a dangerous roadway for travelers and commuters.

Georgia’s Interstate 16

Interstate 16 runs through Georgia from Savannah to Macon on a 166-mile stretch that’s considered one of the deadliest in the United States. While recent years have seen improvements including widened lanes and median barriers, accident rates on Interstate 16 remain high. 

Interstate 85 in West Point and Atlanta 

I-85 runs from Alabama to Virginia including a 180-mile stretch through Georgia. Fatal accidents occur bi-weekly on average on this busy stretch of highway. It’s notoriously dangerous for truckers and those sharing the road with the many large commercial trucks on the sections of I-85 in both Atlanta and West Point.

Georgia’s Interstate 20

I-20 runs across Georgia in a 200-mile stretch of highway including a section bisecting the busy heart of Atlanta. I-20 was cited as the state’s deadliest roadway in 2018. It was also the scene of a news-making pileup accident in 2016 involving a pickup truck and four large commercial tractor-trailer trucks. One recent two-year period saw 5 fatalities in a single mile of I-20 alone, near mile point 44.

Besides large truck congestion, I-20 has notably poor road surface conditions and a lack of adequate signage. The year 2015 was particularly deadly on I-20 with 34 fatalities on the stretch of highway through Georgia.

I-285 in Georgia

Interstate 285 circles around busy Atlanta, merging commercial truck traffic with daily commuters seeking to avoid downtown Atlanta. Commuters and loaded tractor-trailer trucks make a deadly daily mix on this section of Georgia highway. This 64-mile stretch of road sees more daily accidents than any other highway in the United States despite current corrective measures underway to improve driver safety.

Athens Highway Near Loganville, Georgia

Athens Highway runs from Athens to Atlanta through Loganville, Georgia. One particularly dangerous section between Atlanta and Loganville sees heavy daily traffic. Five fatalities occurred within 2.5 miles of each other during a single recent two-year interactive traffic study.