Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in California in 2024
State in United States
- Deaths, 2024
- 3,876
- Fatal crashes
- 3,583
- Population
- 39.4M
In 2024, 3,876 people died in 3,583 fatal crashes in California, about 11 a day. That was 7.0% fewer than in 2023 (4,169) and the fewest since 2019. The death rate was 9.8 per 100,000 residents, compared with 11.5 in the United States. California had the 2nd most traffic deaths of the 51 states and DC and the 34th-highest death rate. Pedestrians accounted for 28% of deaths, and 29% of fatal crashes were speeding-related.
Deaths
Traffic deaths
Road users
Who died
28%
of deaths were pedestrians
- About 1.6 times the share in the United States: 18%
| Category | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Vehicle occupants and others | 2,101 |
| Pedestrians | 1,090 |
| Motorcyclists | 522 |
| Cyclists | 163 |
Embed
| Type | Deaths | Share in California | Share in the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 1,090 | 28% | 18% |
| Motorcyclists | 522 | 13% | 16% |
| Cyclists | 163 | 4% | 3% |
| Alcohol-impaired driving crashes | 1,311 | 34% | 30% |
| Speeding-related crashes | 1,139 | 29% | 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
29%
of fatal crashes were speeding-related
- About the same as 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: 25%
| Category | California | United States |
|---|---|---|
| Speeding-related | 26.6% | 24.8% |
| Alcohol-involved | 28.8% | 28.1% |
| At night | 62.0% | 53.6% |
| At weekends | 34.4% | 32.6% |
Share of fatal crashes. Alcohol-involved means a police-reported drinking driver.
Embed
Timing
When crashes happen
62%
of fatal crashes happened at night
- About 1.2 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 | 201 |
| 1am | 150 |
| 2am | 178 |
| 3am | 118 |
| 4am | 139 |
| 5am | 154 |
| 6am | 114 |
| 7am | 91 |
| 8am | 73 |
| 9am | 73 |
| 10am | 72 |
| 11am | 98 |
| 12pm | 122 |
| 1pm | 108 |
| 2pm | 107 |
| 3pm | 119 |
| 4pm | 135 |
| 5pm | 180 |
| 6pm | 193 |
| 7pm | 204 |
| 8pm | 233 |
| 9pm | 233 |
| 10pm | 206 |
| 11pm | 212 |
All crashes 2024.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 617 |
| Mon | 463 |
| Tue | 421 |
| Wed | 452 |
| Thu | 478 |
| Fri | 538 |
| Sat | 614 |
All crashes 2024.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 272 |
| Feb | 264 |
| Mar | 294 |
| Apr | 289 |
| May | 273 |
| Jun | 283 |
| Jul | 307 |
| Aug | 330 |
| Sep | 332 |
| Oct | 318 |
| Nov | 321 |
| Dec | 300 |
All crashes 2024.
Embed
Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 2,974 |
| Cloudy | 368 |
| Rain | 169 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 38 |
| Severe Crosswinds | 8 |
| Snow | 5 |
All crashes 2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
Embed
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 1,271 |
| Dark - Lighted | 1,224 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 919 |
| Dusk | 82 |
| Dawn | 58 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 19 |
All crashes 2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
Embed
Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2024
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- I-5109
- US-10176
- SR-9962
- I-1546
- I-1044
- I-8027
- SR-9127
- SR-123
- I-58021
- US-39516
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 2,239 |
| SUVs | 1,057 |
| Pickup trucks | 732 |
| Motorcycles | 537 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 394 |
| Other vehicles | 237 |
| Vans | 163 |
| Buses | 20 |
| Other light trucks | 11 |
All crashes 2024.
Embed
Vehicles most often involved
- Honda Accord193
- Toyota Camry192
- Honda Civic180
- Chevrolet Silverado154
- Toyota Corolla136
- Toyota Tacoma105
- Ford F-15098
- Freightliner Cascadia97
- Nissan Altima76
- GMC Sierra61
Reflects how common a vehicle is as well as crash involvement; not a safety rating.
Crashes
Fatal crashes
The map loads when you scroll to it. It needs JavaScript.
Fatal crashes in 2024. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 22, 2024 | Orange County | GILBERT ST | 1 |
| Dec 22, 2024 | Santa Monica, Los Angeles County | WILSHIRE BLVD | 1 |
| Dec 22, 2024 | Fresno County | BOWLES AV | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2024 | San Francisco, San Francisco County | US-101 | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2024 | Victorville, San Bernardino County | US-395 | 2 |
| Dec 21, 2024 | Hemet, Riverside County | MENLO AVE | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2024 | San Diego County | SR-120 | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2024 | Los Angeles, Los Angeles County | I-5 GOLDEN STATE FWY | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2024 | San Diego County | N 1ST ST | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2024 | Santa Ana, Orange County | HARBOR BLVD | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2024 | San Diego, San Diego County | I-5 | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2024 | Riverside County | BLACKBURN RD | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2024 | Calaveras County | SR-4 | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2024 | Imperial County | SR-111 | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2024 | Tulare County | CHARTER OAK DR | 1 |
| Dec 21, 2024 | Kern County | 7TH STANDARD RD | 1 |
| Dec 20, 2024 | Lancaster, Los Angeles County | AVENUE K | 1 |
| Dec 20, 2024 | Santa Clara County | ALUM ROCK FALLS RD | 1 |
| Dec 20, 2024 | East Irvine, Orange County | BARRANCA PKWY | 1 |
| Dec 20, 2024 | San Diego, San Diego County | BLACK MOUNTAIN RD | 1 |
| Dec 20, 2024 | Merced County | I-5 | 2 |
| Dec 20, 2024 | Monterey County | SAN JUAN RD | 1 |
| Dec 20, 2024 | San Marcos, San Diego County | SR-78 | 1 |
| Dec 20, 2024 | Calaveras County | SR-49 | 1 |
| Dec 20, 2024 | San Diego County | VALLEY CENTER RD | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in California in 2024
Rankings
Get updates for California
We'll email you when NHTSA publishes new data for California, usually about once a year. We'll send a link to confirm your address first. No tracking and no sharing, and every email has a link to unsubscribe.
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.