NORCROSS, GA – September 18, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –
This report, distributed by Dermer Appel Ruder, LLC, examines newly released federal data showing Georgia traffic fatalities declined in 2025, continuing a multi-year downward trend across the state.
Georgia recorded 1,307 traffic deaths in 2025, down from 1,403 in 2024, a 6.8 percent decline, according to preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The statewide fatality rate fell to 1.02 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled last year.
Georgia’s decline outpaced the national trend. NHTSA’s early estimate for 2025 projected 36,640 traffic deaths nationwide, a 6.7 percent decrease from 39,254 fatalities in 2024. The national fatality rate fell to 1.10 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, the second-lowest rate in the agency’s recorded history, behind only the 1.08 rate recorded in 2014.
As recently as 2023, Georgia ranked as the fourth-highest state in the nation by total number of traffic fatalities, though 24th by fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, according to the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. Between 2022 and 2023, Georgia recorded a 10 percent decrease in traffic fatalities, outpacing the 4 percent national decline recorded over the same period.
Gwinnett County sits along several of the metro Atlanta area’s busiest commuter corridors, including Interstate 85 and Georgia Highway 316, both of which see substantial daily traffic volume between Atlanta, Gwinnett County, and surrounding suburban communities. Distracted driving, speeding, and impaired driving have remained among the most commonly cited contributing factors in serious Georgia crashes in recent years, according to state highway safety data.
Rideshare and delivery vehicle traffic has also grown substantially in the Atlanta metro area in recent years, adding to overall traffic volume on many of the same commuter corridors used by Gwinnett County residents. Injury claims involving a rideshare or delivery driver can raise additional questions about which insurance policy applies to a given crash, since coverage can differ depending on whether the driver was actively transporting a passenger or delivering an order at the time of the collision.
Georgia follows a modified comparative negligence rule for personal injury claims arising from vehicle collisions. Under this system, an injured party found to be 50 percent or more at fault for a crash generally cannot recover damages, and any recovery is otherwise reduced in proportion to that party’s assigned share of fault.
Georgia is a fault-based auto insurance state, meaning the driver responsible for causing an accident is generally liable for the resulting damages, in contrast to no-fault states where each driver’s own insurance covers certain losses regardless of fault. Georgia law generally allows two years from the date of a crash to file a personal injury lawsuit, and a separate two-year period applies to wrongful death claims arising from a fatal crash.
Claims arising from a fatal crash may also give rise to a separate wrongful death action under Georgia law, brought on behalf of the deceased person’s surviving family members, distinct from any claim the injured person could have pursued had they survived.
The federal and state crash data referenced in this release was compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. The figures are presented for general public awareness and are subject to revision as final crash data is processed.
Dermer Appel Ruder, LLC represents car accident victims in Norcross and Gwinnett County and throughout the greater Atlanta area.
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Dermer Appel Ruder, LLC
Adam Appel
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708 Holcomb Bridge Rd.
Norcross, GA 30071
