Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in California in 2020
State in United States
- Deaths, 2020
- 3,980
- Fatal crashes
- 3,673
- Population
- 39.5M
In 2020, 3,980 people died in 3,673 fatal crashes in California, about 11 a day. The death rate was 10.1 per 100,000 residents, compared with 11.8 in the United States. California had the most traffic deaths of any state and the 34th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 25% of deaths, and 31% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
Road users
Who died
25%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About 1.5 times the share in the United States: 17%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 2,272 |
| Pedestrians | 1,013 |
| Motorcyclists | 559 |
| Cyclists | 136 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in California | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 1,013 | 25% | 17% |
| Motorcyclists | 559 | 14% | 14% |
| Cyclists | 136 | 3% | 2% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 1,183 | 30% | 30% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 1,295 | 33% | 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
31%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About the same as the share in the United States: 29%
28%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About the same as the share in the United States: 27%
| Category | California | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 27.9% | 26.7% |
| Alcohol-involved | 31.4% | 28.6% |
| At night | 58.8% | 53.4% |
| At weekends | 33.8% | 32.9% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
59%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About 1.1 times the share in the United States: 53%
34%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 169 |
| 1am | 150 |
| 2am | 137 |
| 3am | 113 |
| 4am | 122 |
| 5am | 139 |
| 6am | 126 |
| 7am | 91 |
| 8am | 68 |
| 9am | 91 |
| 10am | 100 |
| 11am | 84 |
| 12pm | 101 |
| 1pm | 130 |
| 2pm | 141 |
| 3pm | 159 |
| 4pm | 162 |
| 5pm | 187 |
| 6pm | 223 |
| 7pm | 238 |
| 8pm | 232 |
| 9pm | 245 |
| 10pm | 194 |
| 11pm | 198 |
All crashes 2020.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 630 |
| Mon | 451 |
| Tue | 472 |
| Wed | 440 |
| Thu | 507 |
| Fri | 561 |
| Sat | 612 |
All crashes 2020.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 291 |
| Feb | 280 |
| Mar | 243 |
| Apr | 201 |
| May | 285 |
| Jun | 272 |
| Jul | 329 |
| Aug | 333 |
| Sep | 360 |
| Oct | 369 |
| Nov | 366 |
| Dec | 344 |
All crashes 2020.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 3,213 |
| Cloudy | 296 |
| Rain | 92 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 43 |
| Severe Crosswinds | 9 |
| Snow | 4 |
All crashes 2020. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 1,403 |
| Dark - Lighted | 1,177 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 907 |
| Dusk | 103 |
| Dawn | 69 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 10 |
All crashes 2020. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2020
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- I-5114
- US-10174
- SR-9971
- I-1553
- I-8050
- I-1040
- SR-138
- SR-427
- SR-4124
- I-21523
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 2,461 |
| SUVs | 838 |
| Pickup trucks | 722 |
| Motorcycles | 576 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 400 |
| Other vehicles | 258 |
| Vans | 182 |
| Buses | 14 |
| Other light trucks | 5 |
All crashes 2020.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Honda Accord204
- Honda Civic197
- Toyota Camry155
- Chevrolet Silverado130
- Toyota Corolla114
- Ford F-15099
- Toyota Tacoma97
- Nissan Altima91
- Freightliner Cascadia77
- Toyota PRIUS61
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 2020. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2020 | Stockton, San Joaquin County | PERSHING AVE | 1 |
| Dec 31, 2020 | Huron, Fresno County | SR-269 | 1 |
| Dec 31, 2020 | San Francisco, San Francisco County | 2ND ST | 2 |
| Dec 31, 2020 | Hesperia, San Bernardino County | CALIENTE RD | 1 |
| Dec 31, 2020 | La Mesa, San Diego County | HARBINSON AVE | 1 |
| Dec 31, 2020 | Sacramento County | HICKORY AVE | 1 |
| Dec 31, 2020 | Shasta County | BEAR MOUNTAIN RD | 1 |
| Dec 31, 2020 | Perris, Riverside County | MAPES RD | 1 |
| Dec 31, 2020 | Bakersfield, Kern County | BRIMHALL RD | 3 |
| Dec 30, 2020 | Vallejo, Solano County | I-80 | 1 |
| Dec 30, 2020 | Los Angeles County | VERMONT AVE | 1 |
| Dec 30, 2020 | Hollister, San Benito County | BROWNS ALLEY | 1 |
| Dec 30, 2020 | San Francisco, San Francisco County | MARKET ST | 1 |
| Dec 30, 2020 | Riverside County | CR-HARVILL AVE | 1 |
| Dec 30, 2020 | Merced County | A LOBUE RD | 1 |
| Dec 30, 2020 | Tulare County | RD 132 | 1 |
| Dec 30, 2020 | Placer County | I-80 | 1 |
| Dec 30, 2020 | San Bernardino County | HINKLEY RD | 1 |
| Dec 30, 2020 | Butte County | SR-70 | 1 |
| Dec 30, 2020 | Tulare County | CR-ROAD 92B | 1 |
| Dec 29, 2020 | Santa Ana, Orange County | EUCLID ST | 1 |
| Dec 29, 2020 | Moreno Valley, Riverside County | HEACOCK ST | 1 |
| Dec 29, 2020 | Vallejo, Solano County | AUBURN DR | 1 |
| Dec 29, 2020 | Salinas, Monterey County | US-101 | 1 |
| Dec 29, 2020 | San Bernardino County | I-15 | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in California in 2020
Rankings
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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.