Fatal Crashes Only

This report covers fatal crashes only, from the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System — the federal census of every crash on a US public road that killed someone within 30 days. It does not include injury or property-damage-only crashes, and its totals are not comparable with the all-severity crash reports published elsewhere on this site.

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Yearly Traffic Safety Analysis

80 CRASHES IN
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
2023

All metrics benchmarked against2022

Fatal crashes in Atlanta, GA decreased by 12.09%, from 91 in 2022 to 80 in 2023. Total fatalities also saw a 16.83% reduction, dropping from 101 to 84. The most notable shift was a 37.84% decrease in pedestrian fatalities, falling from 37 in 2022 to 23 in 2023.

80

-12.1%was 91

Total Crash Events

84

-16.8%was 101

Persons Killed

53

39.5%was 38

Persons Injured

8

-33.3%was 12

Hit-and-Run Crashes

Note: "Persons Killed" (84) counts individual fatalities across all crash events. "Fatal" in the severity table below (80) counts crash events where at least one fatality occurred. A single crash can result in multiple fatalities.

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Aggregate counts from crash, person, and vehicle records

Trend Summary

The overall trend indicates a decrease in fatal crash incidents and associated fatalities year-over-year. Fatal crashes decreased by 11, from 91 in 2022 to 80 in 2023, representing a 12.09% reduction. Total fatalities also declined by 17, from 101 to 84, a 16.83% decrease.

8

Hit-and-Run Crashes — 2023

-33.3% vs prior (12)

The number of fatal hit-and-run crashes decreased from 12 in 2022 to 8 in 2023. This represents a reduction in the hit-and-run rate from 13.2% of total fatal crashes in 2022 to 10% in 2023. The trend for fatal hit-and-run incidents is downward year-over-year.

Vulnerable Road User Casualties

23

Pedestrians Killed

Prior: 37-37.8%

1

Cyclists Killed

Prior: 10.0%

58

Motorists Killed

Prior: 63-7.9%

2

Other Killed

Prior: 0%

4

Pedestrians Injured

Prior: 333.3%

0

Cyclists Injured

Prior: 00.0%

49

Motorists Injured

Prior: 3540.0%

0

Other Injured

Prior: 00.0%

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Mode classified from person records (driver/passenger → motorist; pedestrian; bicyclist → cyclist; in-line skater / unspecified → other)

When Crashes Happen

The peak day for fatal crashes shifted from Friday in 2022 (20 fatal crashes) to Saturday in 2023 (21 fatal crashes). The peak hour also changed, moving from 11 PM in 2022 (10 fatal crashes) to 12 AM in 2023 (10 fatal crashes). Fatal crashes on Friday decreased from 20 to 11, while Saturday saw an increase from 18 to 21.

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash date field aggregated by weekday

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash time field aggregated by hour (0-23)

Road & Environmental Conditions

The proportion of fatal crashes occurring in clear weather conditions slightly increased from 78.02% in 2022 (71 of 91) to 80% in 2023 (64 of 80). Conversely, fatal crashes in cloudy conditions decreased proportionally from 13.19% (12 of 91) to 10% (8 of 80). Fatal crashes occurring in daylight increased proportionally from 21.98% (20 of 91) in 2022 to 26.25% (21 of 80) in 2023.

Weather

Clear64 (80.0%)
-9.9%prior 71
Cloudy8 (10.0%)
-33.3%prior 12
Rain7 (8.8%)
-12.5%prior 8
Other1 (1.3%)

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Weather condition at time of crash

Lighting

Dark - Lighted38 (47.5%)
-5.0%prior 40
Daylight21 (26.3%)
5.0%prior 20
Dark - Not Lighted19 (23.8%)
-26.9%prior 26
Dawn1 (1.3%)
Dusk1 (1.3%)

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Lighting condition field

Vehicles & Demographics

Nissan/Datsun and Ford were the top two vehicle makes involved in fatal crashes in 2023, with 14 crashes each, up from 13 and 10 respectively in 2022. Toyota saw a notable increase from 7 fatal crashes in 2022 to 13 in 2023, while Honda decreased from 11 to 10 fatal crashes. The overall number of vehicles involved in fatal crashes decreased from 127 in 2022 to 121 in 2023.

Top Vehicle Makes (121 vehicles)

1
NISSAN/DATSUN14 (11.6%)
7.7%prior 13
2
FORD14 (11.6%)
40.0%prior 10
3
TOYOTA13 (10.7%)
85.7%prior 7
4
CHEVROLET11 (9.1%)
10.0%prior 10
5
HONDA10 (8.3%)
-9.1%prior 11
6
DODGE7 (5.8%)
7
KIA7 (5.8%)
16.7%prior 6
8
HYUNDAI6 (5%)
9
BMW3 (2.5%)
10
UNKNOWN MAKE3 (2.5%)
-66.7%prior 9

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records

5 persons with unknown or unrecorded age excluded from age chart.

Sex Distribution (189 persons with recorded sex)

Male129 (68.3%)
-6.5%prior 138
Female60 (31.7%)
-6.3%prior 64

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events

Speed Limit Zones

Fatal crashes in 55 mph zones decreased from 26 in 2022 to 20 in 2023, and in 45 mph zones from 14 to 4. Conversely, fatal crashes in 65 mph zones increased from 3 in 2022 to 6 in 2023. The 35 mph speed zone continued to have the highest number of fatal crashes in both periods, with 31 in 2022 and 30 in 2023.

Fatal crashes by zone: 25 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 30 mph: 4 of 4 (100%) · 35 mph: 30 of 30 (100%) · 40 mph: 6 of 6 (100%) · 45 mph: 4 of 4 (100%) · 50 mph: 1 of 1 (100%) · 55 mph: 20 of 20 (100%) · 60 mph: 7 of 7 (100%) · 65 mph: 6 of 6 (100%) · 70 mph: 1 of 1 (100%)

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Posted speed limit at crash location

Manner of Collision

The dominant manner of collision in both periods was 'The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport,' accounting for 50 fatal crashes (62.5%) in 2023 and 64 fatal crashes (70.3%) in 2022. Angle collisions decreased from 14 fatal crashes in 2022 to 12 in 2023. Front-to-Front collisions increased from 5 fatal crashes in 2022 to 10 in 2023.

Manner of Collision

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records

Vehicle Type

4-door sedans remained the most frequently involved body type, with 46 fatal crashes in 2023, a slight decrease from 48 in 2022. Fatal crashes involving two-wheel motorcycles significantly decreased from 12 in 2022 to 5 in 2023. Light pickups saw a slight increase from 11 to 12 fatal crashes, while compact utility vehicles decreased from 21 to 20.

Vehicle Type

1
4-door sedan, hardtop46 (38%)
2
Compact Utility (Utility Vehicle Categories "Small" and "Midsize")20 (16.5%)
3
Light Pickup12 (9.9%)
4
Large utility (ANSI D16.1 Utility Vehicle Categories and "Full Size" and "Large")11 (9.1%)
5
Station Wagon (excluding van and truck based)8 (6.6%)
6
Two Wheel Motorcycle (excluding motor scooters)5 (4.1%)
7
Unknown body type3 (2.5%)
8
Motor Scooter2 (1.7%)
9
5-door/4-door hatchback2 (1.7%)

Showing top 9 of 18 reported. 9 additional (12 total) not shown: Single-unit straight truck or Cab-Chassis (GVWR range 10,001 to 19,500 lbs.), Transit Bus (City Bus), Truck-tractor (Cab only, or with any number of trailing unit; any weight), Medium/heavy Pickup (GVWR greater than 10,000 lbs.), Convertible(excludes sun-roof,t-bar), Unknown medium/heavy truck type, Minivan (Chrysler Town and Country, Caravan, Grand Caravan, Voyager, Voyager, Honda-Odyssey, ...), Other or Unknown automobile type, Large Van-Includes van-based buses (B150-B350, Sportsman, Royal Maxiwagon, Ram, Tradesman,...).

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records

Roadway Functional Class

Interstate roadways continued to account for a significant portion of fatal crashes, though decreasing from 37 in 2022 to 28 in 2023. Minor Arterial roads saw an increase in fatal crashes from 23 in 2022 to 26 in 2023. Other Principal Arterial roads experienced a decrease from 17 fatal crashes in 2022 to 14 in 2023.

Roadway Functional Class

1
Interstate28 (35%)
2
Minor Arterial26 (32.5%)
3
Other Principal Arterial14 (17.5%)
4
Major Collector5 (6.3%)
5
Local3 (3.8%)
6
Other Freeways and Expressways3 (3.8%)
7
Minor Collector1 (1.3%)

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records

Roadway Ownership

State Highway Agencies continued to oversee the majority of roadways where fatal crashes occurred, with 53 incidents in 2023, down from 66 in 2022. Fatal crashes on roads owned by City or Municipal Highway Agencies increased from 23 in 2022 to 25 in 2023. County Highway Agencies saw a slight increase from 1 fatal crash in 2022 to 2 in 2023.

Roadway Ownership

1
State Highway Agency53 (66.3%)
2
City or Municipal Highway Agency25 (31.3%)
3
County Highway Agency2 (2.5%)

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records

Person Type

Drivers remained the most common person type involved in fatal crashes, decreasing from 126 in 2022 to 121 in 2023. Pedestrians experienced a notable decrease in fatal crash involvement, falling from 40 in 2022 to 27 in 2023. Passengers also saw a decrease from 45 to 40.

Person Type

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records

Person Injury Severity

The number of fatal injuries (K) decreased from 101 in 2022 to 84 in 2023. Conversely, serious injuries (A) increased from 12 to 15, and possible injuries (C) more than doubled from 12 to 23. The total number of injured persons (A, B, C) increased from 37 in 2022 to 53 in 2023.

Person Injury Severity

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records

Occupant Safety Equipment

The use of shoulder and lap belts in fatal crashes decreased from 94 instances in 2022 to 74 in 2023. Fatal crashes involving persons reported as using no safety equipment or where it was not applicable decreased from 52 in 2022 to 44 in 2023. The total count of specified safety equipment use decreased year-over-year.

Occupant Safety Equipment

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Person-level records linked to crash events

Point of Impact

The '12 Clock Point' (front impact) remained the dominant impact area, increasing from 75 fatal crashes in 2022 to 80 in 2023. '6 Clock Point' (rear impact) fatal crashes decreased from 8 in 2022 to 5 in 2023. Other specific impact points showed minor fluctuations but remained less frequent.

Point of Impact

"Other" combines 12 smaller categories (16 records): 3 Clock Point (2), 5 Clock Point (2), Left-Front Side (2), Right-Front Side (2), Undercarriage (1), Top (1), Reported as Unknown (1), 2 Clock Point (1), Right-Back Side (1), 8 Clock Point (1), 7 Clock Point (1), 4 Clock Point (1).

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Vehicle unit records

Vehicles Per Crash

Single-vehicle fatal crashes decreased significantly from 59 in 2022 to 42 in 2023. In contrast, two-vehicle fatal crashes increased from 26 in 2022 to 33 in 2023. Fatal crashes involving three or more vehicles decreased from a total of 6 in 2022 to 5 in 2023.

Vehicles Per Crash

Source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes) · Federal fatal-crash census · 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31 · Crash-level records

Data Sources & Methodology

Primary Data Source

All crash data in this report is sourced from NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), accessed programmatically via the NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SODA). This dataset contains official police-reported motor vehicle traffic crash records maintained by the reporting jurisdiction's law enforcement agency. Records are published to the open data portal by the municipality and are subject to the portal's terms of use.

Data Retrieval

  • Access method: NHTSA FARS Open Data API (SoQL queries)
  • Data format: Structured JSON via REST API
  • Record types queried: Crash events, person records, and vehicle unit records
  • Date filter applied: 2023-01-01 through 2023-12-31
  • Report generated: August 5, 2026

Data Coverage

  • Reporting period: 2023-01-01 through 2023-12-31 (365 days)
  • Geographic scope: Atlanta, Georgia
  • Total crash records analyzed: 80
  • Total persons involved: 195
  • Total vehicles involved: 121

Analytical Methodology

  • Severity classification: Uses the KABCO injury scale (K=Fatal, A=Incapacitating injury, B=Non-incapacitating injury, C=Possible injury, O=No injury/property damage only), the standard classification in U.S. Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria (MMUCC). Severity is assigned per crash event based on the most severe injury in that crash. A single fatal crash (K) may involve multiple fatalities; therefore the "Persons Killed" count in the headline KPIs may differ from the "Fatal" crash count in the severity breakdown.
  • Contributing factors: Reflect the officer-determined primary contributory cause recorded at the time of the crash report. These are preliminary determinations and may not reflect final investigation findings.
  • Hit-and-run classification: Based on the hit-and-run indicator field in the official crash report, as determined by the responding officer at the scene.
  • Temporal analysis: Day-of-week and hour-of-day distributions are computed from the crash date/time timestamp in each record.
  • Demographics: Age and sex distributions are drawn from person-level records linked to each crash event. A single crash may involve multiple persons.
  • Vehicle data: Make information is drawn from vehicle unit records linked to each crash event.
  • AI commentary: Narrative sections are generated by Google Gemini (large language model) based on the structured data. Commentary is descriptive, not predictive, and should not be interpreted as expert opinion.

Limitations & Disclaimers

  • Only crashes reported to and documented by law enforcement are included. Minor incidents, unreported crashes, and near-misses are not captured in this dataset.
  • Data reflects conditions at the time of the initial police report and may be subject to subsequent corrections, reclassifications, or supplements by the reporting agency.
  • Open data portal records may experience a publication lag - recently occurring crashes may not yet appear in the dataset at the time of report generation.
  • AI-generated commentary is produced by a large language model and is intended to highlight patterns in the data. It does not constitute legal, medical, or professional analysis.
  • Percentages are calculated from reported data and are subject to rounding.

Non-Affiliation Disclosure

This report is produced independently by ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in partnership with any law enforcement agency, municipal government, state department of transportation, or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Data is sourced from publicly available government open data portals.

Data License

The underlying crash data is provided under the municipality's Open Data Terms of Use and is made available to the public for unrestricted use. This analysis and report is © 2026 Injuria.ai and may be cited with attribution using the suggested citation below.

Corrections & Feedback

If you believe any data in this report is inaccurate or have questions about our methodology, please contact: data@injuria.ai. We are committed to accuracy and will issue corrections promptly.

Suggested Citation

ThatCarHitMe.com (Injuria.ai). "Atlanta, Georgia Crash Intelligence Report: 2023." Published August 5, 2026. Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2023-12-31. Data source: NHTSA FARS (Fatal Crashes), NHTSA FARS Open Data. Available at: https://thatcarhitme.com/crash-data/georgia/fatal/atlanta/2023-annual-report

About the Publisher

ThatCarHitMe.com is a crash data intelligence platform developed by Injuria.ai, a legal technology company specializing in traffic safety analytics. We aggregate and analyze publicly available government crash data to produce structured intelligence reports for communities, researchers, journalists, and legal professionals. Our reports combine programmatic data retrieval from official open data portals with AI-assisted narrative analysis.

Questions about this report's data or methodology: data@injuria.ai

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