California has a severe problem with deadly car crashes, which have been on the rise since the pre-pandemic levels. Although California’s population is on the decline, fatal car crashes have risen by 17%. Estimates in 2023 indicate a decrease in deaths compared to 2022. However, fatalities are above levels before the pandemic and stayed at 9.6 deaths per 100,000 people that was recorded in 2018. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration researchers study data to understand the contributing factors to the deadliest crashes on California’s highways. Interstate 5 runs through California and was the state’s most dangerous highway in 2022, with 128 deaths.

According to a recent report, the deadliest road in California is the 15 Freeway that runs through San Bernadino County. In 2022, 48 traffic deaths occurred on the road, which is a 45% increase since 2018. Twenty-two of the fatalities were caused by speeding, and four involved intoxicated driving. San Bernadino County’s 15 Freeway also has the highest rate of deadly car crashes at 20.4 per 1000,000 people.

  1. Interstate 10 Riverside County reported 48 traffic accident deaths in 2022.
  2. The 5 Freeway that runs through Orange County reported 48 car accident deaths in 2022. In 2018, 33 deaths were reported.
  3. Riverside reported 31 deaths on the 10 Freeway in 2022. In 2018, 25 deaths were reported.
  4. In San Diego County, 21 deaths occurred as a result of traffic accidents on the 5 Freeway, an increase from 19 in 2018.
  5. On Orange County’s 5 Freeway, 16 deaths were reported, which was an increase from the 14 people who died in highway accidents in 2018.
  6. Santa Barbara County had 15 deaths on the 101 Freeway in 2022. In 2018, seven auto accident deaths were reported.
  7. In 2018, 11 deaths were reported on the 880 Freeway in Alameda County. In 2022, the number was up to 14.
  8. In Contra Costa County, 14 deaths were reported in 2022, while in 2018, there were eight deaths on State Route 4.
  9. Twenty-one deaths occurred on the 10 Freeway in Los Angeles County. In 2018, 14 people died in traffic accidents on the freeway.
  10. The 10 Freeway in Los Angeles County reported 13 deaths from car crashes in 2022. In 2018, seven deaths occurred.
  11. In Santa Clara County, 13 deaths were reported on the 101 Freeway in 2022. Twelve people died on the freeway as a result of auto accidents in 2018.

The NHTSA has reported that most of the fatal traffic accidents on California roads are the result of speeding at higher rates than intoxicated or distracted driving. A study indicates excessive speed is responsible for nearly one-third of all fatal accidents on California’s roads. The Inland Empire holds first and second spots for the most traffic accident fatalities. In 2022, California reported 858 highway deaths in Los Angeles County. While many of the most dangerous roads are in the Los Angeles area, dangerous driving is a problem throughout the state. In Modesto alone there were 15 traffic deaths in 2023.

Experts on traffic safety state the trend began during the pandemic when there was less traffic, and many roads were wide open. A study at UC Berkeley discovered that while fewer vehicles were on California’s highways during the pandemic, serious traffic accidents rose by 15%. The trend is at a crisis level and must be reversed to keep people safe on California’s freeways.