Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in California in 2021
State in United States
- Deaths, 2021
- 4,513
- Fatal crashes
- 4,196
- Population
- 39.2M
In 2021, 4,513 people died in 4,196 fatal crashes in California, about 12 a day. That was 13.4% more than in 2020 (3,980) and the most since 1991. The death rate was 11.5 per 100,000 residents, compared with 13.0 in the United States. California had the most traffic deaths of any state and the 28th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 26% of deaths, and 35% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
11.5
deaths per 100,000 residents in 2021
- About 90 percent of the rate in the United States: 13.0
+13%
change in deaths from 2020 to 2021
3,980 deaths in 2020, 4,513 in 2021
- The United States: +11%
California traffic deaths by year goes back to 1975.
Road users
Who died
26%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About 1.5 times the share in the United States: 17%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 2,589 |
| Pedestrians | 1,179 |
| Motorcyclists | 611 |
| Cyclists | 134 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in California | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 1,179 | 26% | 17% |
| Motorcyclists | 611 | 14% | 14% |
| Cyclists | 134 | 3% | 2% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 1,435 | 32% | 31% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 1,590 | 35% | 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
35%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About 1.2 times the share in the United States: 28%
27%
of fatal crashes involved a drinking driver
- About the same as the share in the United States: 26%
| Category | California | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 27.2% | 26.3% |
| Alcohol-involved | 34.8% | 28.2% |
| At night | 61.0% | 53.9% |
| At weekends | 33.7% | 32.8% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
61%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About 1.1 times the share in the United States: 54%
34%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 196 |
| 1am | 174 |
| 2am | 201 |
| 3am | 137 |
| 4am | 153 |
| 5am | 164 |
| 6am | 134 |
| 7am | 98 |
| 8am | 95 |
| 9am | 79 |
| 10am | 83 |
| 11am | 111 |
| 12pm | 104 |
| 1pm | 126 |
| 2pm | 172 |
| 3pm | 172 |
| 4pm | 162 |
| 5pm | 222 |
| 6pm | 249 |
| 7pm | 250 |
| 8pm | 267 |
| 9pm | 264 |
| 10pm | 278 |
| 11pm | 227 |
All crashes 2021.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 682 |
| Mon | 543 |
| Tue | 493 |
| Wed | 525 |
| Thu | 567 |
| Fri | 652 |
| Sat | 734 |
All crashes 2021.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 333 |
| Feb | 276 |
| Mar | 334 |
| Apr | 371 |
| May | 311 |
| Jun | 354 |
| Jul | 393 |
| Aug | 371 |
| Sep | 358 |
| Oct | 385 |
| Nov | 370 |
| Dec | 340 |
All crashes 2021.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 3,576 |
| Cloudy | 369 |
| Rain | 130 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 51 |
| Severe Crosswinds | 17 |
| Snow | 3 |
All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 1,513 |
| Dark - Lighted | 1,344 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 1,133 |
| Dusk | 87 |
| Dawn | 81 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 23 |
All crashes 2021. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2021
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- I-5116
- US-10184
- SR-9982
- I-1059
- I-1557
- I-8043
- SR-134
- I-827
- SR-9126
- SR-421
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 2,920 |
| SUVs | 1,045 |
| Pickup trucks | 883 |
| Motorcycles | 626 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 452 |
| Other vehicles | 327 |
| Vans | 201 |
| Buses | 10 |
| Other light trucks | 7 |
All crashes 2021.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Honda Accord222
- Toyota Camry212
- Honda Civic204
- Chevrolet Silverado174
- Toyota Corolla152
- Freightliner Cascadia124
- Ford F-150122
- Nissan Altima106
- Toyota Tacoma94
- Nissan Sentra73
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 2021. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 2021 | San Joaquin County | SR-4 FARMINGTON RD | 1 |
| Dec 27, 2021 | Merced County | ALMOND AVE | 1 |
| Dec 27, 2021 | Garnet, Riverside County | PALM SPRINGS DR | 1 |
| Dec 26, 2021 | Fullerton, Orange County | HARBOR BLVD | 1 |
| Dec 26, 2021 | Lakewood, Los Angeles County | WOODRUFF AVE | 1 |
| Dec 26, 2021 | Los Angeles County | TORRANCE BL | 1 |
| Dec 26, 2021 | Mission Viejo, Orange County | LOS ALISOS BLVD | 1 |
| Dec 26, 2021 | Los Angeles, Los Angeles County | SR-2 | 1 |
| Dec 26, 2021 | Madera County | SR-41 | 1 |
| Dec 26, 2021 | Shasta County | SR-273 | 1 |
| Dec 26, 2021 | Vallejo, Solano County | SR-29 | 1 |
| Dec 26, 2021 | Fresno, Fresno County | SR-99 | 1 |
| Dec 26, 2021 | San Jacinto, Riverside County | SR-79 RAMONA EXPY | 1 |
| Dec 26, 2021 | Imperial County | I-8 | 1 |
| Dec 26, 2021 | Tulare County | SR-65 | 1 |
| Dec 25, 2021 | Ontario, San Bernardino County | I-10 | 1 |
| Dec 25, 2021 | Hayward, Alameda County | SR-238 MISSION BLVD | 1 |
| Dec 25, 2021 | San Bernardino County | I-15 | 1 |
| Dec 25, 2021 | Palmdale, Los Angeles County | ELIZABETH LAKE RD | 1 |
| Dec 25, 2021 | Sacramento County | ELKHORN BLVD | 1 |
| Dec 25, 2021 | San Diego County | OTAY LAKES RD | 1 |
| Dec 25, 2021 | Sacramento County | WINDING WAY | 1 |
| Dec 24, 2021 | Los Angeles, Los Angeles County | I-5 | 1 |
| Dec 24, 2021 | Lafayette, Contra Costa County | ST MARYS RD | 1 |
| Dec 24, 2021 | Carpinteria, Santa Barbara County | VIA REAL | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in California in 2021
Rankings
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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2021. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.