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 |
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| 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.
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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.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 617 |
| Mon | 463 |
| Tue | 421 |
| Wed | 452 |
| Thu | 478 |
| Fri | 538 |
| Sat | 614 |
All crashes 2024.
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| 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.
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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.
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| 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.
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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.
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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
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Fatal crashes in 2024. Crashes without reported coordinates are not shown.
Filter crashes
| Date | Location | Road | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 20, 2024 | Riverside County | SR-86 | 1 |
| Dec 20, 2024 | Shasta County | PARKVILLE RD | 1 |
| Dec 19, 2024 | Huntington Beach, Orange County | SR-1 PACIFIC COAST HWY | 1 |
| Dec 19, 2024 | Huntington Beach, Orange County | SPRINGDALE ST | 1 |
| Dec 19, 2024 | Norwalk, Los Angeles County | FERINA ST | 1 |
| Dec 19, 2024 | La Habra, Orange County | SR-39 BEACH BL | 1 |
| Dec 19, 2024 | San Bernardino, San Bernardino County | N MERIDIAN AV | 1 |
| Dec 19, 2024 | Imperial County | SR-78 | 3 |
| Dec 19, 2024 | Ontario, San Bernardino County | W HOLT BL | 1 |
| Dec 19, 2024 | San Diego, San Diego County | MIRAMAR RD | 1 |
| Dec 19, 2024 | Placer County | AUBURN FOLSOM RD | 1 |
| Dec 19, 2024 | Lake County | SR-29 | 1 |
| Dec 19, 2024 | Los Angeles County | LARK ELLEN AVE | 1 |
| Dec 19, 2024 | Mendocino County | SR-222 TALMAGE RD | 1 |
| Dec 19, 2024 | San Joaquin County | I-5 WEST SIDE FWY | 2 |
| Dec 19, 2024 | Riverside County | SR-74 | 1 |
| Dec 18, 2024 | La Palma, Orange County | LA PALMA AV | 1 |
| Dec 18, 2024 | Hesperia, San Bernardino County | COTTONWOOD AV | 1 |
| Dec 18, 2024 | San Bernardino County | SR-18 PALMDALE RD | 1 |
| Dec 18, 2024 | El Monte, Los Angeles County | DURFEE AVE | 1 |
| Dec 18, 2024 | Long Beach, Los Angeles County | I-605 SAN GABRIEL RIVER FWY | 1 |
| Dec 18, 2024 | Santa Cruz County | SOQUEL SAN JOSE RD | 1 |
| Dec 18, 2024 | Mendocino County | SR-128 | 1 |
| Dec 18, 2024 | Riverside, Riverside County | SR-91 | 1 |
| Dec 18, 2024 | Sutter County | CR-PELGER | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in California in 2024
Rankings
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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.