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US Route 278
Fatal crashes 2015–2024 80Deaths 84Counties 13Latest data year 2024
FARS data are based on police crash reports and other sources; the drunk-driving measure is based on the highest BAC of any driver in the crash. Latest data year: 2024. The route is the trafficway recorded for each crash (FARS TWAY_ID); the same route number in another state has its own page.
US Route 278 in Georgia was the trafficway in 80 fatal crashes between 2015 and 2024, in which 84 people died.
That is 0.5% of the 14,652 fatal crashes in Georgia over the same years. The ten-year crash count rose 158% from 31 in 2005–2014 to 80 in 2015–2024.
The crashes were concentrated in DeKalb County (23), Paulding County (15) and Polk County (13) and 10 other counties.
16.3% of the crashes had a driver reported as drinking (Georgia: 19.6%) and 13.8% had a speeding-related driver (19.4%); pedestrians were 28.6% and motorcyclists 15.5% of those killed.
Fatal crashes per year
Route identification in FARS is consistent from 2000; earlier years are not shown. Shaded band: the ten-year window used for the shares below.
Compared with all fatal crashes in Georgia
| Measure | US Route 278 | Georgia |
|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes, 2015–2024 | 80 | 14,652 |
| Deaths, 2015–2024 | 84 | 15,801 |
| Deaths per fatal crash | 1.1 | 1.1 |
| Share of state fatal crashes | 0.5% | 100% |
| Change vs previous ten years | +158% | +15% |
Factor shares
Counties along the route
| # | County | Fatal crashes on US-278 | Share of route | County total, all roads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DeKalb County | 23 | 29% | 1,007 |
| 2 | Paulding County | 15 | 19% | 179 |
| 3 | Polk County | 13 | 16% | 86 |
| 4 | Richmond County | 6 | 8% | 305 |
| 5 | Cobb County | 4 | 5% | 584 |
| 6 | Fulton County | 4 | 5% | 1,189 |
| 7 | Greene County | 4 | 5% | 42 |
| 8 | McDuffie County | 4 | 5% | 51 |
| 9 | Warren County | 3 | 4% | 33 |
| 10 | Columbia County | 1 | 1% | 109 |
| 11 | Morgan County | 1 | 1% | 62 |
| 12 | Newton County | 1 | 1% | 167 |
| 13 | Walton County | 1 | 1% | 110 |
Hour of day
Share of fatal crashes on US Route 278 beginning in each hour, 2015–2024; tick marks the Georgia share for all roads.
Where along the route
| Mile marker range | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mile 0–5 | 28 | 35% |
| Mile 5–10 | 23 | 29% |
| Mile 10–15 | 12 | 15% |
| Mile 15–20 | 5 | 6% |
| Mile 20–25 | 5 | 6% |
| Mile 25–30 | 1 | 1% |
Five-mile bins by FARS milepoint, the six with the most fatal crashes; 97.5% of crashes on the route have a milepoint. Milepoints are as recorded by the state and can restart at county or district lines.
Other routes in Georgia
- Interstate 75 647
- Interstate 20 391
- Interstate 85 339
- Interstate 285 263
- State Route 3 157
- US Route 27 131
- US Route 19 127
- Interstate 95 124
- Interstate 16 123
- State Route 20 122
- State Route 1 119
- State Route 11 109
All routes and counties in Georgia
Questions and answers
How many fatal crashes have there been on US Route 278 in Georgia?
80 fatal crashes with 84 deaths over 2015–2024, per NHTSA's FARS. The route is the trafficway recorded for the crash; the same numbered route in another state has its own page.
Which counties along US Route 278 had the most fatal crashes?
DeKalb County (23), Paulding County (15), Polk County (13), Richmond County (6) and Cobb County (4).
What share of crashes on US Route 278 involved alcohol or speeding?
16.3% had a driver reported as drinking and 13.8% a speeding-related driver, against 19.6% and 19.4% for all fatal crashes in Georgia.
When do fatal crashes happen on US Route 278?
63.8% of the crashes were between 6pm and 6am. The hour chart on this page shows the full distribution.
Provenance
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, annual national CSV files 2000–2024 (accident, vehicle and person tables), public domain. Route pages are built for signed Interstate, US and state routes with at least 20 fatal crashes in 2015–2024. Data through 31 Dec 2024; generated 30 Sep 2026. See methodology and corrections.