Eight Years of Motor-Vehicle Fatalities Among Georgia ’ s Law Enforcement Officers
Hope M . Tiesman and Nick Breul
In the last decade , on average , one officer a week has been killed on U . S . roads ( 2011 – 2020 = 49.8 deaths annually ). In 2020 , 37 % of fatalities among law enforcement officers were motor vehicle related . Motor-vehicle fatalities have an immeasurable impact on officers ’ families , friends , and agencies , but they are just the tip of the iceberg . Non-fatal motor-vehicle incidents cause significant cost and burden due to physical injuries and longterm disabilities . There is a dearth of data on non-fatal motor-vehicle incidents , but one study estimated that for every officer killed in a motor-vehicle crash ( MVC ), approximately 234 were injured . This would equate to approximately 10,296 officers being injured in a MVC in 2020 . Even though motor vehicle-related incidents are a leading cause of injury and death for officers , the perception that driving is a safe task remains high in the law enforcement domain .
There are many reasons why officers are at an increased risk for MVCs . Officers often work in shifts and shift work is associated with sleep deficits , which can cause fatigued officers to make judgment errors . Inside a typical patrol car , there are many complex technologies such as lights , sirens , radios , scanners , weapons , radar , stolen vehicle locators , cameras , mobile data terminals , and mobile devices . Attending to these technologies while driving can temporarily reduce driving skills . There is research to suggest that officers often do not wear seat belts because of cultural norms or physical barriers such as seat belts wrapping around gun holsters . Lack of driver training may also play a role in MVCs . One study found that only 29 % of officers received any type of motor-vehicle safety training in the prior year . However , many agencies may not have the resources to conduct regular driver training .
Despite these numerous risk factors , there is limited research on how to best prevent officer-involved MVCs . Therefore , an examination of fatal crash data compiled by the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum ( NLEMM ) was performed between 2010 and 2017 to count and describe motor-vehicle related fatalities in the state of Georgia . During this eight-year period , there were a total of 37 certified law enforcement motor-vehicle related fatalities in Georgia . All fatalities are reviewed and approved by the NLEMM before publication .
The fatalities included 17 motor-vehicle collisions ( involving multiple vehicles ), 12 single-vehicle crashes , a single motorcycle incident , and 7 events where officers were struck and killed while conducting roadside operations . Sheriff agencies had the highest number of incidents ( n = 20 ; 54 %). Municipal agencies had the next highest number of incidents ( n = 12 ; 32 %). There were also four
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