Fatal crash profile · County
Traffic deaths in Merced County, California
County in California · United States
- Deaths, 2024
- 46
- Fatal crashes
- 42
- Population
- 296.8K
In 2024, 46 people died in 42 fatal crashes in Merced County, California. That was 22.0% fewer than in 2023 (59) and the fewest since 2020. The death rate was 15.5 per 100,000 residents, compared with 9.8 in California and 11.5 in the United States. Merced County had the 17th most traffic deaths among California's counties. Between 2020 and 2024, 289 people died, an average of 58 a year. Pedestrians accounted for 13% of deaths, and 21% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
15.5
deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024
- About 1.6 times the rate in California: 9.8
- About 1.3 times the rate in the United States: 11.5
19.9
average deaths per 100,000 residents a year, 2020–2024
- About 1.9 times the average in California: 10.7
- About 1.6 times the average in the United States: 12.3
-22%
change in deaths from 2023 to 2024
59 deaths in 2023, 46 in 2024
- California: -7%
- The United States: -4%
| Category | Deaths | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 46 | 45 |
| 2021 | 67 | 62 |
| 2022 | 71 | 62 |
| 2023 | 59 | 52 |
| 2024 | 46 | 42 |
People who died within 30 days of a crash. A fatal crash can kill more than one person.
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| Category | Deaths per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 16.3 |
| 2021 | 23.3 |
| 2022 | 24.3 |
| 2023 | 20.1 |
| 2024 | 15.5 |
Uses Census population estimates, available from 2000.
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Road users
Who died
13%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About half the share in California: 28%
- About three-quarters of the share in the United States: 18%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 32 |
| Pedestrians | 6 |
| Motorcyclists | 5 |
| Cyclists | 3 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in Merced County | Share in California |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 6 | 13% | 28% |
| Motorcyclists | 5 | 11% | 13% |
| Cyclists | 3 | 7% | 4% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 16 | 35% | 34% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 10 | 22% | 29% |
Alcohol-impaired and speeding-related count everyone killed in those crashes, so a death can appear in more than one row.
Crash factors
Speeding, alcohol, night and weekend crashes
21%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About three-quarters of the share in California: 29%
- About three-quarters of the share in the United States: 28%
29%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About the same as the share in California: 27%
- About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 25%
| Category | Merced County | California | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 28.6% | 26.6% | 24.8% |
| Alcohol-involved | 21.4% | 28.8% | 28.1% |
| At night | 66.7% | 62.0% | 53.6% |
| At weekends | 33.3% | 34.4% | 32.6% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
67%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About the same as the share in California: 62%
- About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 54%
33%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About the same as the share in California: 34%
- About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 11 |
| 1am | 6 |
| 2am | 6 |
| 3am | 5 |
| 4am | 19 |
| 5am | 12 |
| 6am | 11 |
| 7am | 9 |
| 8am | 8 |
| 9am | 8 |
| 10am | 3 |
| 11am | 4 |
| 12pm | 6 |
| 1pm | 6 |
| 2pm | 7 |
| 3pm | 9 |
| 4pm | 19 |
| 5pm | 10 |
| 6pm | 12 |
| 7pm | 19 |
| 8pm | 19 |
| 9pm | 16 |
| 10pm | 20 |
| 11pm | 11 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 36 |
| Mon | 28 |
| Tue | 37 |
| Wed | 39 |
| Thu | 42 |
| Fri | 35 |
| Sat | 46 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 22 |
| Feb | 19 |
| Mar | 10 |
| Apr | 20 |
| May | 18 |
| Jun | 21 |
| Jul | 28 |
| Aug | 23 |
| Sep | 23 |
| Oct | 36 |
| Nov | 24 |
| Dec | 19 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 222 |
| Cloudy | 24 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 8 |
| Rain | 5 |
| Severe Crosswinds | 3 |
| Other | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Dark - Not Lighted | 105 |
| Daylight | 97 |
| Dark - Lighted | 51 |
| Dawn | 6 |
| Dusk | 2 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 1 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2020–2024
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- SR-15226
- I-520
- SR-9920
- SR-5915
- SANTA FE DR8
- SR-1658
- G ST8
- SR-1407
- SR-337
- HENRY MILLER AVE4
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 187 |
| SUVs | 65 |
| Pickup trucks | 56 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 50 |
| Motorcycles | 34 |
| Other vehicles | 11 |
| Vans | 6 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Toyota Camry19
- Honda Accord18
- Honda Civic14
- Nissan Sentra10
- Freightliner Cascadia10
- Ford F-15010
- Toyota Corolla9
- Nissan Altima9
- Toyota Tacoma7
- Chevrolet Silverado7
Reflects how common a vehicle is as well as crash involvement; not a safety rating.
Crashes
Fatal crashes
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Fatal crashes in 2024. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 20, 2024 | — | I-5 | 2 |
| Dec 17, 2024 | — | CR-VINCENT RD | 1 |
| Dec 16, 2024 | — | SR-152 | 2 |
| Dec 15, 2024 | — | SR-140 | 1 |
| Dec 13, 2024 | Merced | GLEN AVE | 1 |
| Dec 8, 2024 | Atwater | ATWATER BLVD | 1 |
| Nov 10, 2024 | — | VOLTA RD | 1 |
| Nov 10, 2024 | — | I-5 | 1 |
| Oct 30, 2024 | — | I-5 | 2 |
| Oct 27, 2024 | — | EL CAPITAN WAY | 1 |
| Oct 25, 2024 | — | SR-152 | 1 |
| Oct 25, 2024 | — | NETHERTON RD | 1 |
| Oct 17, 2024 | — | CR-CUNNINGHAM RD | 1 |
| Oct 12, 2024 | — | SR-99 OFF-RAMP | 1 |
| Oct 11, 2024 | — | SR-165 | 1 |
| Sep 28, 2024 | — | FRANKLIN RD | 1 |
| Sep 27, 2024 | — | SR-152 | 2 |
| Sep 24, 2024 | — | SANTA FE DR | 1 |
| Sep 4, 2024 | — | I-5 | 1 |
| Aug 27, 2024 | — | SR-33 | 1 |
| Aug 26, 2024 | Merced | E YOSEMITE AV | 1 |
| Aug 20, 2024 | — | I-5 | 1 |
| Aug 6, 2024 | — | MERCED AVE | 1 |
| Jul 25, 2024 | Merced | E 21ST ST | 1 |
| Jul 24, 2024 | Merced | W 16TH ST | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Cities in Merced County
| Area | Deaths, 2024 | Per 100,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Merced | 11 | 11.1 |
Nearby counties
Get updates for Merced County, California
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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020–2024. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.