Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in California in 2022
State in United States
- Deaths, 2022
- 4,539
- Fatal crashes
- 4,218
- Population
- 39.1M
In 2022, 4,539 people died in 4,218 fatal crashes in California, about 12 a day. That was 0.6% more than in 2021 (4,513) and the most since 1991. The death rate was 11.6 per 100,000 residents, compared with 12.8 in the United States. California had the most traffic deaths of any state and the 30th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 27% of deaths, and 31% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
Road users
Who died
27%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About 1.5 times the share in the United States: 18%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 2,494 |
| Pedestrians | 1,213 |
| Motorcyclists | 649 |
| Cyclists | 183 |
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| Type | Deaths | Share in California | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 1,213 | 27% | 18% |
| Motorcyclists | 649 | 14% | 15% |
| Cyclists | 183 | 4% | 3% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 1,419 | 31% | 32% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 1,443 | 32% | 28% |
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 1.1 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 | 26.7% | 26.2% |
| Alcohol-involved | 31.0% | 27.7% |
| At night | 60.4% | 53.9% |
| At weekends | 35.4% | 33.3% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
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Timing
When crashes happen
60%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About 1.1 times the share in the United States: 54%
35%
of fatal crashes happened at weekends
- About the same as the share in the United States: 33%
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 12am | 218 |
| 1am | 181 |
| 2am | 203 |
| 3am | 140 |
| 4am | 134 |
| 5am | 168 |
| 6am | 158 |
| 7am | 103 |
| 8am | 101 |
| 9am | 109 |
| 10am | 97 |
| 11am | 104 |
| 12pm | 135 |
| 1pm | 104 |
| 2pm | 142 |
| 3pm | 162 |
| 4pm | 179 |
| 5pm | 188 |
| 6pm | 250 |
| 7pm | 226 |
| 8pm | 288 |
| 9pm | 270 |
| 10pm | 245 |
| 11pm | 226 |
All crashes 2022.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 742 |
| Mon | 516 |
| Tue | 531 |
| Wed | 494 |
| Thu | 534 |
| Fri | 651 |
| Sat | 750 |
All crashes 2022.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 360 |
| Feb | 337 |
| Mar | 334 |
| Apr | 337 |
| May | 347 |
| Jun | 353 |
| Jul | 328 |
| Aug | 377 |
| Sep | 357 |
| Oct | 389 |
| Nov | 341 |
| Dec | 358 |
All crashes 2022.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 3,652 |
| Cloudy | 335 |
| Rain | 124 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 44 |
| Severe Crosswinds | 18 |
| Snow | 2 |
All crashes 2022. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 1,552 |
| Dark - Lighted | 1,366 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 1,075 |
| Dusk | 93 |
| Dawn | 92 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 32 |
All crashes 2022. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2022
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- I-5111
- US-10178
- SR-9970
- I-1563
- I-1059
- I-8032
- SR-9130
- SR-127
- SR-421
- SR-4120
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 2,804 |
| SUVs | 1,155 |
| Pickup trucks | 822 |
| Motorcycles | 664 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 439 |
| Other vehicles | 255 |
| Vans | 188 |
| Other light trucks | 16 |
| Buses | 14 |
All crashes 2022.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Honda Civic218
- Toyota Camry205
- Honda Accord183
- Chevrolet Silverado158
- Toyota Corolla147
- Freightliner Cascadia101
- Ford F-15096
- Toyota Tacoma96
- Nissan Altima87
- Nissan Sentra85
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 2022. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 28, 2022 | Stanislaus County | E SERVICE RD | 1 |
| Oct 27, 2022 | Los Angeles, Los Angeles County | ROSSMORE AVE | 1 |
| Oct 27, 2022 | Palmdale, Los Angeles County | AVENUE T | 1 |
| Oct 27, 2022 | East Irvine, Orange County | CREEK RD | 1 |
| Oct 27, 2022 | Sacramento, Sacramento County | MEADOWVIEW RD | 1 |
| Oct 27, 2022 | Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County | OCEAN ST | 1 |
| Oct 27, 2022 | Long Beach, Los Angeles County | SR-1 E PACIFIC COAST HWY | 1 |
| Oct 27, 2022 | Fresno, Fresno County | PERRIN AVE | 1 |
| Oct 27, 2022 | Sacramento, Sacramento County | FRUITRIDGE RD | 1 |
| Oct 27, 2022 | Long Beach, Los Angeles County | SR-91 | 1 |
| Oct 27, 2022 | La Mesa, San Diego County | I-8 | 1 |
| Oct 27, 2022 | Riverside County | WASHINGTON ST | 1 |
| Oct 27, 2022 | San Jacinto, Riverside County | RAMONA EXPY | 1 |
| Oct 27, 2022 | Santa Cruz County | SR-1 | 1 |
| Oct 27, 2022 | San Diego County | RANCHO DIEGUENO RD | 1 |
| Oct 26, 2022 | Los Angeles, Los Angeles County | US-101 VENTURA FWY | 1 |
| Oct 26, 2022 | Los Angeles, Los Angeles County | FIGUEROA ST | 1 |
| Oct 26, 2022 | Merced, Merced County | M ST | 1 |
| Oct 26, 2022 | Arcata, Humboldt County | VALLEY WEST BLVD | 1 |
| Oct 26, 2022 | San Diego, San Diego County | I-805 RAMP | 1 |
| Oct 26, 2022 | Monterey County | CARMEL VALLEY RD | 1 |
| Oct 26, 2022 | Santa Ana, Orange County | BRISTOL ST | 1 |
| Oct 26, 2022 | San Bernardino County | PHELAN RD | 1 |
| Oct 26, 2022 | Tulare County | SR-99 | 1 |
| Oct 26, 2022 | Merced County | INGOMAR GRADE RD | 1 |
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Nearby and related
Counties in California in 2022
Rankings
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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2022. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.