ATLANTA, GA – September 30, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –
This report, distributed by Wrongful Death Krause Law Firm, examines newly released federal data showing Georgia traffic fatalities declined in 2025, alongside the legal framework Georgia families rely on when a traffic death results in a wrongful death claim.
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, with the national fatality rate falling to 1.10 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, the second-lowest rate in the agency’s recorded history.
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.
Each traffic death behind these statistics can give rise to a wrongful death claim under Georgia law. The Georgia Wrongful Death Act, codified at O.C.G.A. Section 51-4-1, et seq., allows a surviving spouse, or if there is no surviving spouse, the decedent’s children, to recover for the “full value of the life of the decedent, as shown by the evidence.” A separate provision, O.C.G.A. Section 51-4-5(b), allows the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate to recover funeral, medical, and other necessary expenses resulting from the injury and death.
Only one wrongful death claim may generally be filed on behalf of a deceased individual in Georgia, and state law establishes a specific order of priority for who may bring that claim. A surviving spouse is first in line and must include any minor children in the action, with any recovery divided so the spouse receives at least one-third. If there is no surviving spouse, the decedent’s children may bring the claim, followed by the decedent’s parents if there are no children, and finally the administrator or executor of the estate if no immediate family member is available.
Georgia law generally requires a wrongful death claim to be filed within two years of the date of death, under the state’s statute of limitations for personal injury and wrongful death actions, though certain circumstances can pause or extend that deadline.
Motor vehicle collisions, including those involving passenger cars, commercial trucks, and motorcycles, remain among the most common categories of wrongful death claims in Georgia, alongside cases involving medical malpractice, drownings, construction site accidents, and premises liability.
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 information regarding Georgia’s wrongful death statute is based on the Official Code of Georgia Annotated. The figures and legal provisions described are presented for general public awareness and are not a substitute for individualized legal advice.
Wrongful Death Krause Law Firm represents families in wrongful death cases in Atlanta and throughout Georgia, including claims arising from motor vehicle collisions, medical malpractice, and other fatal accidents.
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For more information about Wrongful Death Krause Law Firm, contact the company here:
Wrongful Death Krause Law Firm
Roger Krause
(404) 835-8080
roger@kgwlegal.com
6190 Powers Ferry Rd Suite #230 Atlanta, GA 30339
