ATLANTA — A grieving Atlanta family is demanding immediate safety improvements at an intersection near Chastain Park where their 16-year-old son was killed earlier this year.

Benjamin Reiser, a Mount Vernon High School student, died in September when his motorcycle collided with an SUV at Roswell Road and Laurel Forest Circle. Since then, his father, Scott Reiser, has collected thousands of petition signatures calling for changes at what residents have long described as a dangerous location.

Reiser addressed the Atlanta Fatal Crash Review Commission this week, saying confusion over jurisdiction has stalled progress. “If it’s not us, it’s Georgia DOT. If it’s not Georgia DOT, it’s a city. We can’t do it, the city can’t do it…it’s a lot of ‘I can’t,’” he told the commission.

He is asking officials to make the exit from Laurel Forest Circle onto Roswell Road a right-turn-only movement. He also raised concerns about visibility along the curved roadway, saying “it is a blind curve, lots of vegetation needs to be cut back.”

Benjamin’s aunt told members she had worried about the intersection well before the crash, saying, “a lot of accidents happen there.”

Commission members say they are exploring several possible solutions, including a traffic signal, a new median, more signage and other changes intended to improve safety.

The intersection falls under the Fatal Crash Review Commission established in 2023 as part of Atlanta’s “Vision Zero” initiative, which aims to eliminate traffic deaths and reduce severe crashes on city streets.

According to Atlanta DOT data, there have been 59 traffic fatalities in the city in 2024; a 25% decline from the previous year and down more than 40% from a peak in 2021.

Reiser says he doesn’t care which agency ultimately acts, he just wants to ensure no other family experiences the same loss.

WSB Radio’s Graham Carroll contributed to this story.