Fatal car crashes in DeKalb County, Georgia
From 2020 through 2024, 619 people died in 585 crashes on roads in DeKalb County, Georgia.
That is 16.1 deaths a year for every 100,000 residents, above the Georgia rate of 14.8 and above the US rate of 12.1.
I-285 (At Indian Creek Dr) had more fatal crashes than any other road here: 78, killing 86.
Hit-and-runs made up 13% of fatal crashes here, against 6% statewide.
In 2024, 106 people were killed, 16% more than in 2020 (91).
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020-2024 · population: Census 2024 estimate, 770,307 · checked October 2, 2026
people killed in crashes, 2020-2024 (585 crashes)
deaths a year per 100,000 residents (Georgia 14.8, US 12.1)
pedestrians killed, 36% of all deaths here
of fatal crashes involved a driver police reported as drinking
Where the fatal crashes happened
Each dot is one crash that killed at least one person, placed at the coordinates in the police report.
The deadliest roads in DeKalb County
I-285 (At Indian Creek Dr) leads with 78 fatal crashes in five years. Roads are counted by the name in the crash report; a highway's frontage roads and ramps count toward it.
| # | Road | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I-285 At Indian Creek Dr | 78 | 86 |
| 2 | I-20 Purple Heart Hwy | 57 | 65 |
| 3 | I-85 Access Rd Nb | 29 | 31 |
| 4 | SR-155 Flat Shoals Pkwy | 25 | 25 |
| 5 | SR-10 Memorial Dr | 22 | 22 |
| 6 | US-278 Covington Hwy | 16 | 17 |
| 7 | SR-12 Covington Hwy | 13 | 13 |
| 8 | US-78 Stone Mountain Fwy | 12 | 13 |
| 9 | SR-120 Covington Hwy | 12 | 12 |
| 10 | US-23 SR-13 BUFORD HWY | 12 | 12 |
Deaths by year
DeKalb County ranks 2nd of 139 Georgia counties by deaths and 105th by death rate (1st = highest), among counties with 10 or more fatal crashes.
When crashes turn deadly
72% of fatal crashes here happened in the dark. The single deadliest hour was 10 pm to 11 pm.
Sunday had the most fatal crashes (119), and 36% fell on a Saturday or Sunday.
By month, January was the worst (62 crashes across the five years).
What was involved
Shares of fatal crashes (or of deaths) in DeKalb County, next to Georgia and the US. Red marks a share at least a quarter higher than the state's.
| Factor | DeKalb County | Share | Georgia | US |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speeding was a factor a driver coded by police as speeding, racing or too fast for conditions | 102 | 17% | 22% | 28% |
| A driver had been drinking police reported alcohol involvement for at least one driver | 116 | 20% | 19% | 26% |
| A large truck was involved a truck over 10,000 lbs | 53 | 9% | 13% | 13% |
| Hit-and-run a driver left the scene | 78 | 13% | 6% | 7% |
| Pedestrians killed share of all deaths | 222 | 36% | 18% | 18% |
| Motorcyclists killed share of all deaths | 65 | 11% | 12% | 15% |
| Bicyclists killed share of all deaths | 4 | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| Teens (15-19) killed share of all deaths | 39 | 6% | 6% | 7% |
After a crash in DeKalb County
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Get the crash report
Statewide copies come from Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) crash reporting unit, sold online through the BuyCrash portal (LexisNexis); Georgia State Patrol reports are also available through the Department of Public Safety open records unit, cost GDOT mail-in request: $5 each, plus $2 for a certified report. The BuyCrash price is not stated on official pages read. and are usually ready GDOT mail requests take "at the least two weeks"; GDOT points people to BuyCrash for faster delivery.
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Know your deadline
Georgia gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit (Ga. Code Ann. § 9-3-33). If a city, county or state vehicle was involved: A written ante litem notice of a tort claim against the State of Georgia must be given within 12 months of the date the loss was discovered or should have been discovered; claims against cities and counties have their own, shorter or different notice deadlines.
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Who pays
Georgia is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.
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If you were partly at fault
If you were partly at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, but you recover nothing if you were 50% or more responsible. Georgia's 2025 tort reform law (SB 68) did not change this bar.
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The other driver’s minimum coverage
The legal minimum liability coverage in Georgia is $25,000 per injured person, $50,000 per crash and $25,000 for property (25/50/25).
Check your deadline and a rough claim range
A filing date and a rough value range for Georgia. Both take under a minute.
Cities in DeKalb County
| City | Deaths 2020-24 | Per 100K a year | Pedestrians | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | 424 | 16.3 | 141 | 520,070 |
| Tucker | 47 | 25.3 | 19 | 37,224 |
Nearby counties
| County | Distance | Deaths 2020-24 | Per 100K a year | Pedestrians | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County, Georgia | 14 mi | 665 | 12.2 | 201 | 1,090,354 |
| Rockdale County, Georgia | 14 mi | 72 | 14.8 | 12 | 97,610 |
| Gwinnett County, Georgia | 17 mi | 306 | 6.1 | 64 | 1,003,869 |
| Clayton County, Georgia | 19 mi | 257 | 17.3 | 97 | 297,703 |
| Henry County, Georgia | 22 mi | 153 | 11.8 | 26 | 259,315 |
| Cobb County, Georgia | 23 mi | 328 | 8.3 | 95 | 787,538 |
| Newton County, Georgia | 26 mi | 98 | 15.8 | 4 | 124,010 |
| Walton County, Georgia | 28 mi | 55 | 10.0 | 7 | 109,792 |
About these numbers
FARS counts every crash on a public road in which someone died within 30 days. It leaves out the far larger number of crashes that only injured people. Places are as coded in the report: a crash on a county road just outside city limits counts for the county, not the city. Rates use the Census 2024 population estimate and the five-year average.