Fatal crash profile · State
Traffic deaths in California
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
9.8
deaths per 100,000 residents in 2024
- About 85 percent of the rate in the United States: 11.5
-7%
change in deaths from 2023 to 2024
4,169 deaths in 2023, 3,876 in 2024
- The United States: -4%
| Category | Deaths | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 4,092 | 3,667 |
| 1976 | 4,395 | 3,895 |
| 1977 | 4,839 | 4,351 |
| 1978 | 5,310 | 4,724 |
| 1979 | 5,542 | 4,975 |
| 1980 | 5,496 | 4,930 |
| 1981 | 5,170 | 4,670 |
| 1982 | 4,615 | 4,119 |
| 1983 | 4,573 | 4,089 |
| 1984 | 5,020 | 4,517 |
| 1985 | 4,960 | 4,447 |
| 1986 | 5,253 | 4,683 |
| 1987 | 5,504 | 4,935 |
| 1988 | 5,392 | 4,875 |
| 1989 | 5,412 | 4,877 |
| 1990 | 5,192 | 4,685 |
| 1991 | 4,688 | 4,194 |
| 1992 | 4,192 | 3,722 |
| 1993 | 4,164 | 3,687 |
| 1994 | 4,232 | 3,787 |
| 1995 | 4,192 | 3,669 |
| 1996 | 3,989 | 3,576 |
| 1997 | 3,688 | 3,279 |
| 1998 | 3,494 | 3,112 |
| 1999 | 3,559 | 3,148 |
| 2000 | 3,753 | 3,348 |
| 2001 | 3,956 | 3,543 |
| 2002 | 4,088 | 3,654 |
| 2003 | 4,224 | 3,731 |
| 2004 | 4,120 | 3,727 |
| 2005 | 4,333 | 3,849 |
| 2006 | 4,240 | 3,839 |
| 2007 | 3,995 | 3,591 |
| 2008 | 3,434 | 3,145 |
| 2009 | 3,090 | 2,825 |
| 2010 | 2,720 | 2,504 |
| 2011 | 2,816 | 2,617 |
| 2012 | 2,966 | 2,733 |
| 2013 | 3,107 | 2,860 |
| 2014 | 3,102 | 2,859 |
| 2015 | 3,387 | 3,123 |
| 2016 | 3,837 | 3,540 |
| 2017 | 3,884 | 3,569 |
| 2018 | 3,798 | 3,485 |
| 2019 | 3,719 | 3,427 |
| 2020 | 3,980 | 3,673 |
| 2021 | 4,513 | 4,196 |
| 2022 | 4,539 | 4,218 |
| 2023 | 4,169 | 3,826 |
| 2024 | 3,876 | 3,583 |
People who died within 30 days of a crash. A fatal crash can kill more than one person.
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| Category | Deaths per 100,000 |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 11.0 |
| 2001 | 11.5 |
| 2002 | 11.7 |
| 2003 | 12.0 |
| 2004 | 11.6 |
| 2005 | 12.1 |
| 2006 | 11.8 |
| 2007 | 11.0 |
| 2008 | 9.4 |
| 2009 | 8.4 |
| 2010 | 7.3 |
| 2011 | 7.5 |
| 2012 | 7.8 |
| 2013 | 8.1 |
| 2014 | 8.0 |
| 2015 | 8.7 |
| 2016 | 9.8 |
| 2017 | 9.9 |
| 2018 | 9.6 |
| 2019 | 9.4 |
| 2020 | 10.1 |
| 2021 | 11.5 |
| 2022 | 11.6 |
| 2023 | 10.6 |
| 2024 | 9.9 |
Uses Census population estimates, available from 2000.
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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 | 945 |
| 1am | 829 |
| 2am | 891 |
| 3am | 643 |
| 4am | 696 |
| 5am | 783 |
| 6am | 661 |
| 7am | 469 |
| 8am | 417 |
| 9am | 419 |
| 10am | 446 |
| 11am | 481 |
| 12pm | 586 |
| 1pm | 582 |
| 2pm | 684 |
| 3pm | 762 |
| 4pm | 789 |
| 5pm | 974 |
| 6pm | 1,128 |
| 7pm | 1,169 |
| 8pm | 1,284 |
| 9pm | 1,254 |
| 10pm | 1,154 |
| 11pm | 1,080 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Sun | 3,361 |
| Mon | 2,453 |
| Tue | 2,374 |
| Wed | 2,381 |
| Thu | 2,591 |
| Fri | 2,969 |
| Sat | 3,367 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Jan | 1,580 |
| Feb | 1,410 |
| Mar | 1,468 |
| Apr | 1,512 |
| May | 1,540 |
| Jun | 1,564 |
| Jul | 1,671 |
| Aug | 1,737 |
| Sep | 1,722 |
| Oct | 1,837 |
| Nov | 1,740 |
| Dec | 1,715 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Conditions
Weather and light
| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Clear | 16,517 |
| Cloudy | 1,789 |
| Rain | 723 |
| Fog, Smog, Smoke | 192 |
| Severe Crosswinds | 59 |
| Snow | 19 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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| Category | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Daylight | 7,084 |
| Dark - Lighted | 6,416 |
| Dark - Not Lighted | 4,983 |
| Dusk | 462 |
| Dawn | 377 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 128 |
All crashes 2020–2024. Crashes where conditions were not reported are left out.
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Roads and vehicles
Where and what, 2020–2024
Roads with the most fatal crashes
- I-5538
- US-101395
- SR-99364
- I-15276
- I-10247
- I-80194
- SR-1150
- SR-91121
- SR-4105
- I-894
Road names as recorded in police reports.
| Category | Vehicles |
|---|---|
| Cars | 12,921 |
| SUVs | 5,144 |
| Pickup trucks | 3,940 |
| Motorcycles | 3,016 |
| Medium and heavy trucks | 2,065 |
| Other vehicles | 1,324 |
| Vans | 927 |
| Buses | 71 |
| Other light trucks | 45 |
All crashes 2020–2024.
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Vehicles most often involved
- Honda Civic1,019
- Honda Accord999
- Toyota Camry959
- Chevrolet Silverado749
- Toyota Corolla669
- Ford F-150532
- Toyota Tacoma505
- Freightliner Cascadia486
- Nissan Altima439
- Nissan Sentra342
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 27, 2024 | San Joaquin County | SR-99 GOLDEN STATE HWY | 1 |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Antioch, Contra Costa County | LONE TREE WAY | 1 |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Antioch, Contra Costa County | 10TH ST | 1 |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Loma Linda, San Bernardino County | I-10 | 1 |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Modesto, Stanislaus County | SCENIC DR | 1 |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Colusa County | SR-20 | 1 |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Corona, Riverside County | SR-91 | 1 |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Los Angeles County | CR-SOLEDAD CANYON RD | 1 |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Los Angeles, Los Angeles County | JEFFERSON BLVD | 1 |
| Jul 27, 2024 | Bakersfield, Kern County | CALIFORNIA AVE | 1 |
| Jul 27, 2024 | San Jacinto, Riverside County | STATE ST | 1 |
| Jul 26, 2024 | San Jose, Santa Clara County | E JULIAN ST | 1 |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Santa Rosa, Sonoma County | FOUNTAINGROVE PW | 1 |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Westminster, Orange County | MAGNOLIA ST | 1 |
| Jul 26, 2024 | La Palma, Orange County | BRANSFORD DR | 1 |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Downey, Los Angeles County | FLORENCE AVE | 1 |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Santa Clarita, Los Angeles County | SR-14 | 1 |
| Jul 26, 2024 | San Mateo, San Mateo County | SR-1 | 3 |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Lancaster, Los Angeles County | AVENUE J | 1 |
| Jul 26, 2024 | Chico, Butte County | LASSEN AVE | 1 |
| Jul 25, 2024 | Merced, Merced County | E 21ST ST | 1 |
| Jul 25, 2024 | San Jose, Santa Clara County | TULLY RD | 1 |
| Jul 25, 2024 | Cathedral City, Riverside County | EAST PALM CYN RD | 1 |
| Jul 25, 2024 | Madera County | SR-99 | 1 |
| Jul 25, 2024 | Rialto, San Bernardino County | SR-210 | 1 |
Explore
Nearby and related
Counties in California
Cities
- Adelanto
- Alhambra
- Anaheim
- Antioch
- Apple Valley
- Atascadero
- Azusa
- Bakersfield
- Baldwin Park
- Banning
- Barstow
- Beaumont
- Bell
- Bellflower
- Berkeley
- Blythe
- Brea
- Brentwood
- Buena Park
- Burbank
- Burlingame
- Calimesa
- Camarillo
- Carlsbad
- Carson
- Cathedral City
- Ceres
- Cerritos
- Chico
- Chino
- Chino Hills
- Chula Vista
- Citrus Heights
- Claremont
- Clearlake
- Clovis
- Coachella
- Colton
- Commerce
- Compton
- Concord
- Corona
- Costa Mesa
- Culver City
- Cupertino
- Daly City
- Dana Point
- Davis
- Desert Hot Springs
- Diamond Bar
- Downey
- East Irvine
- East Los Angeles
- El Cajon
- El Centro
- El Monte
- Elk Grove
- Encinitas
- Escondido
- Eureka
- Fairfield
- Folsom
- Fontana
- Fountain Valley
- Fremont
- Fresno
- Fullerton
- Galt
- Garden Grove
- Garnet
- Gilroy
- Glendale
- Goleta
- Hanford
- Hawthorne
- Hayward
- Hemet
- Hercules
- Hesperia
- Highland
- Huntington Beach
- Huntington Park
- Indio
- Inglewood
- Irwindale
- Jurupa Valley
- La Habra
- La Mesa
- La Quinta
- Lafayette
- Laguna Hills
- Laguna Niguel
- Lake Elsinore
- Lake Forest
- Lancaster
- Lathrop
- Lemon Grove
- Livermore
- Lodi
- Loma Linda
- Long Beach
- Los Angeles
- Lynwood
- Madera
- Malibu
- Manteca
- Menifee
- Merced
- Milpitas
- Mission Viejo
- Modesto
- Montclair
- Monterey Park
- Moreno Valley
- Mountain View
- Murrieta
- Napa
- National City
- Naval Air Station San Diego
- Newark
- Newport Beach
- Norco
- North Palm Springs
- Norwalk
- Oakland
- Oceanside
- Ontario
- Orange
- Orinda
- Oroville
- Oxnard
- Palm Desert
- Palm Springs
- Palmdale
- Palo Alto
- Paramount
- Pasadena
- Paso Robles
- Perris
- Pico Rivera
- Pittsburg
- Pleasanton
- Pomona
- Porterville
- Rancho Cordova
- Rancho Cucamonga
- Red Bluff
- Redding
- Redlands
- Redondo Beach
- Redwood City
- Rialto
- Richmond
- Riverside
- Rosemead
- Roseville
- Sacramento
- Salinas
- San Bernardino
- San Clemente
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jacinto
- San Jose
- San Juan Capistrano
- San Leandro
- San Luis Obispo
- San Marcos
- San Mateo
- San Pablo
- San Rafael
- Santa Ana
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Clara
- Santa Clarita
- Santa Cruz
- Santa Fe Springs
- Santa Maria
- Santa Monica
- Santa Rosa
- Seal Beach
- Simi Valley
- South Gate
- South San Francisco
- Stanton
- Stockton
- Sunnyvale
- Temecula
- Thousand Oaks
- Torrance
- Tracy
- Tulare
- Turlock
- Tustin
- Twentynine Palms
- Union City
- Upland
- Vacaville
- Vallejo
- Ventura
- Victorville
- Visalia
- Vista
- Walnut Creek
- Wasco
- Watsonville
- West Covina
- West Sacramento
- Westminster
- Whittier
- Wildomar
- Woodland
- Yuba City
- Yucaipa
- Yucca Valley
Cities with at least 10 fatal crashes across the loaded years are listed.
Rankings
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Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020–2024. A fatal crash is one in which at least one person died within 30 days. Population: US Census Bureau estimates.