Since 2009, the Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO) has produced an annual Crash Report. This report examines several trends regarding motor vehicle crashes in the Valdosta/Lowndes area: Fatalities, serious injuries, crashes involving pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, log trucks, and more. This report analyzed crashes from Jan.1, 2016 to Dec. 31, 2020 and is used to supplement the development of VLMPO transportation plans and to identify infrastructure projects to improve the safety of the traveling public.

Here are some highlights from the report:

• During the 2016 to 2020 timeframe, 18,632 crashes occurred in the Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Area (VLMPA).

• From 2016 to 2020, there were 85 traffic fatalities in the VLMPA, or about one death every 3 weeks.

• The total number of crashes that occurred in the Metropolitan Planning Area during the 2016-2020 timeframe decreased from the previous 5 year (2015-2019) timeframe by 2.16%.

This crash report also provides the top 20 crash locations for both the City of Valdosta and Lowndes County. This information can be used by local governments for many purposes. Intersections and other locations with problems such as insufficient sight distance, blind curves, or insufficient signage can be identified and corrected. Overall crash trends can be used to identify driver training and education programs that may be needed. Crashes involving pedestrians can be analyzed to help determine where sidewalks or crosswalks are needed. The report can also be used by citizens to determine which intersections are most dangerous and what traffic situations to watch out for.

The Crash Report can be downloaded at the following address: https://www.sgrc.us/documents/transportation/Final%20FY2021%20Crash%20Report.pdf. If you would like more information, contact Amy Martin at 229-333-5277 or [email protected].

The Southern Georgia Regional Commission is the designated Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization (VLMPO) is a multi-county, federally funded transportation planning agency for the Valdosta Urbanized Area. The VLMPO conducts long range and short range transportation planning in areas including: highways and bridges, public transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, freight movement among other areas.

The Southern Georgia Regional Commission is a regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency which serves 45 municipalities in the 18 counties (Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Pierce, Tift, Turner, and Ware) of South Georgia. Our dedicated staff team with local governments to increase the prosperity and quality of life in our region through programs including: Area Agency on Aging, Community and Economic Development, Transportation and Environmental Planning, Geographic Information Systems, Information Technology, Workforce Development and Small Business Loans.