Atlanta is the "deadly hot spot" of tractor-trailer rollovers, according to a Monday study by Bloomberg Business.
Bloomberg cites an American Transportation Research Institute study that found more than 200 trucks have flipped in the Atlanta area since 2001. And more than 200 people have died in truck rollovers in Georgia during that time.
Overworked drivers and outdated ramps are a treacherous combination on Atlanta's interstates, according to Bloomberg.
January saw two tractor-trailer rollovers in two weeks — both on the ramp from I-285 southbound to I-20 eastbound. One accident spilled beer; the other dumped 40,000 pounds of frozen chicken. A March 20 wreck on that same ramp, involving a Ford Mustang and a tractor-trailer, resulted in a fatality.
"The top 10 rollover hot spots in the Atlanta area," Bloomberg's Keith Naughton wrote, "all involve exit ramps that require a rapid reduction in speed and often have sightlines obscured by bridges or the curvature of the road. Many lack adequate signs and flashing lights to warn of impending rollover risk."
Atlanta's top spots for large truck rollovers (2001-2012), and their number of rollovers, are:
1. I-285 and I-75 (south side): 40
2. I-285 and I-20: 32
3. I-285 and I-85 (south side): 31
4. I-95 and I-16: 18
5. I-285 and I-85 (north side): 17
6: US 278 and Spur 6: 16
(tie) I-75 transition to I-85 (south end of the Connector): 16
(tie) I-285 and I-20 (west side): 16
9. US 411 and US 41: 11
(tie) I-75 milepost 62: 11
(tie) I-285 and I-75 (north side): 11
(tie) I-285 and US 23: 11
(tie) Connector and I-20: 11
