100% of our support comes from you. Invest in WABE today!
Marisa Mecke | WABE
December 4th, 2025
A new study says traffic crashes killed more people than homicides in the five core metro Atlanta counties in 2024. 
Local nonprofit Propel ATL’s Cost of Mobility report highlights the scope of traffic deaths and the human impact of these losses in Atlanta. 
The organization works on transportation advocacy initiatives, such as street design, transportation and transit, as well as events like Atlanta Streets Alive. 
“We noticed that overall traffic crashes did reduce last year, but pedestrian and cyclist fatalities actually increased,” said Jeremiah Jones, advocacy manager for Propel ATL.
He said a lot of crashes are happening on large roads, like those with four or five lanes. The deadliest corridors are state highways.
However, a lot of these high-speed main corridors and major intersections are also where bus stops tend to be. According to the study, 59% of all pedestrian accidents occurred near a bus stop.
The Cost of Mobility report for 2024 found that across the City of Atlanta, Cobb, Clayton, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties, traffic crashes killed 425 people — just over the number of people killed in homicides in the metro area. 
Over half — 61 % — of all traffic fatalities occurred in predominantly Black neighborhoods, which represent 43% of all tracts according to the Cost of Mobility study.
The study also highlights the personal stories of individuals who died in traffic crashes in Atlanta, and the impact on their loved ones and communities. 
“What we’ve realized at Propel ATL is that data really doesn’t move people that much,” Jones said. “Some of [the] locations of these fatal crashes were on problem corridors that have been problem areas for decades and still haven’t seen change. 
He said including the stories of those who have died paints a picture of the people behind the numbers, the families they matter to, and the holes they are leaving in their communities. 
“You’ll see people like Tim Duncan […] He was a cyclist leading a ride and he was struck by the distracted driver, and he succumbed to his injuries,” Jones said. “Or you’ll see stories of Barry Collier, who you know was riding his bike during Thanksgiving, and he was hit and left for dead.” 
The report also includes the story of Allen London, who was hit by a car earlier in his life and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was able to rehabilitate himself and begin to live his life again, only to be hit by a driver again and killed, on the same corridor he was hit in a traffic crash years earlier. 
“No one’s life should be cut short simply trying to get around their community, especially when it is preventable through engineering and through planning,” Jones said.
He said the 2024 number of traffic crash deaths is unacceptable — and that crashes aren’t accidents. 
“We believe they’re choices, and we believe that decision makers have the ability to choose different designs for these corridors,” Jones said. “And when we begin to prioritize, you know, safety and protection and lives over speed and the flow of traffic, we can begin to save these we can begin to save lives.” 
Jones said that this kind of change is possible — and is already happening in some places in Atlanta. 
He said Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway ranked eighth on the list of roads or corridors with the most crashes over several years. 
“It has dropped to 19 on the list now, and that is due to GDOT implementing a safety-oriented redesign on the State Route,” Jones said. 
He said updated designs, pedestrian infrastructure and measures to slow cars down can effectively reduce mortalities. 
By highlighting traffic deaths and where they happen in this annual report, Jones said the metro Atlanta area can use this data to make planning and engineering decisions to reduce preventable deaths.  
Nov 24, 2025
Nov 14, 2025
Nov 10, 2025
WABE’s mission is simple: “Inform, inspire, reflect and empower our greater Atlanta community. ” We do that through the news, information, and entertainment we bring you via radio and TV, on your phone, in your car, on your smart speaker, or online at WABE.org— Atlanta News brought to you anywhere and everywhere throughout greater Atlanta. And we can only do this with your help. Please consider becoming a member of WABE today.

740 Bismark Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
2015 – 2025 90.1 FM WABE

source