Georgia Fatal Bicycle Accident Statistics
Georgia reported a total of 23 bicycle-related fatalities involving a motor vehicle in 2015. This number is up from 19 reported in 2014 but down from 28 recorded in 2013. The low point came in 2011 when there were 14 deaths. This information comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It represents two percent of total traffic fatalities for the state, which is the same as the national average.
Nationwide, there were 817 bicycle fatalities in 2015, which was an increase of 13 percent from the prior year and the highest total since 1995. There has been a steady decline since 1975 of 19 percent with an 88 percent decrease in the number of victims who are age 20 or younger. For every year since 1975, there have been more male victims than female.
Georgia has a state law in place requiring riders age 15 and younger to wear a helmet when riding. Statistics show that the number of head injuries declines by 50 percent when the rider is wearing a helmet and the number of face and neck injuries go down by 33 percent. In fact, fewer than 17 percent of fatalities were wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.
Fewer than half the counties in Georgia reported a bicycle fatality for 2015. They were scattered throughout the state with the main concentration in the northern part of the state and the far southern portion. Walker County in the north reported one fatality, while nearby Carroll and Coweta counties also reported one. Fulton County had two deaths for the year. In the southern portion of the state, Brooks and Lowndes counties also reported one death for the year. All of these counties had previously recorded no bicycle-related fatalities for the past several years.