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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 15, 2022 | Los Angeles County | MENDOCINO ST | 1 |
| Dec 15, 2022 | Elk Grove, Sacramento County | SHELDON RD | 1 |
| Dec 15, 2022 | La Habra Heights, Los Angeles County | HARBOR BLVD | 1 |
| Dec 15, 2022 | Sacramento County | CR-ELKHORN BOULEVARD | 1 |
| Dec 15, 2022 | Tulare County | SR-43 | 1 |
| Dec 15, 2022 | Sacramento, Sacramento County | POWER INN RD | 1 |
| Dec 15, 2022 | San Diego, San Diego County | I-8 | 1 |
| Dec 15, 2022 | San Mateo, San Mateo County | US-101 N BAYSHORE FWY | 1 |
| Dec 15, 2022 | Imperial County | SR-86 | 1 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | Bakersfield, Kern County | BRIMHALL RD | 1 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | Fresno, Fresno County | TULARE ST | 1 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | San Bernardino, San Bernardino County | E 5TH ST | 2 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | Newark, Alameda County | CEDAR BL | 1 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino County | VINEYARD AV | 1 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | San Jose, Santa Clara County | CAPITOL EXPWY | 1 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | Vallejo, Solano County | SR-37 | 1 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | San Joaquin County | MARIPOSA RD | 2 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | Alameda County | CR-DUBLIN CANYON ROAD | 1 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | Kern County | SR-58 | 1 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | Placer County | E ROSEVILLE PKWY | 4 |
| Dec 14, 2022 | San Diego, San Diego County | I-5 | 1 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | Mission Viejo, Orange County | OSO PKWY | 1 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | Los Angeles, Los Angeles County | 92ND ST | 1 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | Hesperia, San Bernardino County | ARROWHEAD LAKE RD | 2 |
| Dec 13, 2022 | Hanford, Kings County | E GRANGEVILLE BLVD | 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.