Gainesville’s population has increased over the past decade growing from 179,684 people in 2010 to 203,136 people in 2020. With more people comes more traffic. More traffic means there is a higher chance of car accidents, injuries, and deaths.
Certain intersections and roads in Gainesville and Hall County receive a high influx of traffic, making them more dangerous to travel on.
To find out where exactly these locations are, we searched the Gainsville-Hall Metropolitan Planning Organization’s website. Under their list of studies and resources is a section called County Crash Profiles. We analyzed the data provided there to see where the accident hotspots are concentrated.
Here’s what we found.
Crashes in Gainesville, GA Increased in 2020
Crash injuries and fatalities declined from 2017 to 2019, then jumped back up in 2020. Overall, there were 8,045 crashes last year that left 2,357 people injured and 32 dead.
This data tells us that despite fewer cars on the road during the pandemic, drivers frequently engaged in reckless behaviors like excessive speeding, aggressive maneuvers, and driving while distracted.
High Accident Roads and Locations in Gainesville
The hotspots for most crashes are concentrated in heavily trafficked areas, particularly on roads close to Interstate 985. Most crashes occur in central Gainesville, followed by Oakwood at exit 16 and Highway 53, and Buford at exit 8 along Friendship Road.
Source: GHMPO - Hall Country Crash Profile 2021
Injuries and fatalities frequently occurred on large thoroughfares and highways. A large portion of deaths happened along Highway 60, also known as Thompson Bridge Road.
Source: GHMPO - Hall Country Crash Profile 2021
So which intersections specifically saw the most accidents according to the most recent data? We examined the intersections with the greatest number of total collisions and weighted them by the total number of injury collisions and the number of people injured.
The top five most dangerous intersections in Gainesville are as follows:
5. Dawsonville Highway and Green Hill Circle with 44 collisions and 12 people injured.
4. EE Butler and West Ridge Road with 42 collisions and 14 people injured.
3. Jesse Jewell Parkway and Downey Boulevard with 37 collisions and a whopping 32 people injured.
2. Browns Bridge Road and McEver Road. This intersection saw 55 collisions with 4 people injured.
1. Dawsonville Highway and McEver Road with 91 collisions and 14 people injured.
Additional Accident Data and Statistics
We also found some other interesting stats about when and where most crashes happen. In Gainesville, crashes tend to happen more frequently...
- in autumn, from October to December (this is likely due to shorter hours of light and holiday shopping traffic and travel);
- at the end of the week on Thursdays and Fridays (with accidents peaking at 5 pm);
- and at an angle or from behind.
To avoid being rear-ended or injured in a collision, the best advice is to wear your seatbelt, drive the speed limit, keep your distance from cars in front of you, and pay attention to what other drivers are doing around you.
Gainesville Car Accident Lawyer
Of course, wrecks can happen no matter how careful you are while you drive. And that’s where Gary Martin Hays & Associates comes in: we help victims of crashes who have suffered injuries and need help.
When you hire us, we take on the big insurance companies to make sure you aren’t paying out of pocket for medical bills, car repairs, and other expenses.
If you were injured in a car accident in Gainesville, or know someone who was hurt in a wreck, tell them to give our personal injury lawyers a call at (770) 934-8000. A consultation with our firm is free, confidential, and there’s no obligation to hire us. We get to work on your case immediately to get you the financial compensation you need and deserve.
If you would like to visit us in person, make an appointment at our Gainesville office today, located at 431 Green St NW, Gainesville, GA 30501.
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