Accident Statistics
Published road safety data for California, with the source, data year, geography and methodology attached to every figure. Nothing here is estimated, rounded or inferred.
Deaths on California roads
From the federal Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a census of fatal crashes rather than a sample.
Impairment, injuries and insurance
How we handle data
Road safety figures are quoted carelessly more often than almost any other kind of statistic. These are the rules we hold ourselves to.
Every figure carries its provenance
A number is only published here once its source, data year, geography and methodology are all recorded. If any of those is missing, the figure is not shown and the space is left empty rather than filled.
Data year, not publication year
Figures are labelled by the year the events happened, not the year the report came out. Those are usually different, often by two years.
Estimates are labelled as estimates
Some widely quoted figures are models rather than counts. Alcohol-impaired death figures involve statistical imputation of missing blood alcohol results, and the uninsured driver rate is an insurance industry model derived from claims ratios rather than a government count. Both are labelled accordingly.
Agencies disagree, and we say so
Federal and state sources produce different totals for the same year because they count differently. The federal system reconciles police reports against death certificates and coroner records and captures deaths up to 30 days after a crash; the state system compiles police collision reports as submitted. We use the federal figures for deaths and state sources for injuries, and we do not mix them within a single comparison.
Gaps are stated, not filled
California has not published a total injury figure covering all severities since 2020. Where a figure does not exist, we say it does not exist rather than interpolating one.
Data sources
Every statement on this page traces to one of the following. Where a source is not the issuing body itself, that is noted.
- NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Annual Report File. NHTSA, State Alcohol-Impaired-Driving Estimates: 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 813) Official source Data year 2024, California, statewide. Census of fatal crashes on public roads where a death occurred within 30 days of the crash. Checked 20 August 2026.
- NHTSA, Pedestrians: 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 818). NHTSA, Pedestrians: 2024 Data Official source Data year 2024, California, statewide. FARS census. A pedestrian is any person on foot killed in a motor vehicle traffic crash within 30 days. Checked 20 August 2026.
- NHTSA, Motorcycles: 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 824). NHTSA, Motorcycles: 2024 Data Official source Data year 2024, California, statewide. FARS census of motorcycle riders and passengers killed within 30 days of a crash on a public road. Checked 20 August 2026.
- NHTSA, Bicyclists and Other Cyclists: 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 822). NHTSA, Bicyclists and Other Cyclists: 2024 Data Official source Data year 2024, California, statewide. FARS census. NHTSA counts pedalcyclists, which includes bicycles and other pedal-driven cycles. IIHS counts bicycles only and reports 162 for the same year. Checked 20 August 2026.
- NHTSA, State Alcohol-Impaired-Driving Estimates: 2024 Data (DOT HS 813 813). NHTSA, State Alcohol-Impaired-Driving Estimates: 2024 Data Official source Data year 2024, California, statewide. A modelled estimate, not a count: NHTSA imputes missing blood alcohol results. It indicates the presence of alcohol, not that alcohol caused the crash. Checked 20 August 2026.
- Caltrans, California Highway Safety Improvement Program 2024 Annual Report. Federal Highway Administration, California HSIP 2024 Annual Report Official source Data year 2023, California, statewide. Suspected serious injuries recorded on police collision reports and compiled in SWITRS. Injury totals are revised as late reports arrive. Checked 20 August 2026.
- Insurance Research Council, via Insurance Information Institute. Insurance Information Institute, Facts and statistics: Uninsured motorists Secondary source Data year 2022, California, statewide. An insurance industry model, not a government count. It infers uninsured driving from the ratio of uninsured motorist claims to bodily injury claims. Checked 20 August 2026.
Some statutory text above was read from an established legal database rather than the Legislature's own site, which blocks automated access. The wording was cross-checked across multiple databases and against official California guidance. If you are relying on the exact text, read it on the Legislature's official site.