California Car Accident Statistics – Traffic Fatalities CA [2024 Updated]

With its busy urban centers, the state of California is home to some of the most dangerous roadways in the United States. California is behind only Texas when it comes to traffic fatalities, with around 4,000 fatal crashes occurring every year among nearly a quarter million total accidents. Even when fatality is avoided, a significant percentage of these incidents result in serious injuries to one or more innocent parties, calling for swift intervention from a reputable California car accident attorney.

Understanding California Car Accident Fatality Statistics

It’s natural to want the most up-to-date statistics when trying to inform yourself about crucial issues like traffic safety. It’s also important to understand, however, that it takes time for public officials and media organizations to collect, validate, and analyze data. Even with procedural and technological advances, official traffic accident statistics in California for any given year are usually not available until at least a year or two after the fact.

What this means in a practical sense is that, until 2024’s data becomes available, 2024 California car accident statistics will largely be informed by data collected around 2021 and 2022. Trends in this data can be used to extrapolate the likely numbers for 2024, but it will be a couple of years before the real numbers can be verified.

Fluctuations and anomalies can be especially prevalent when looking at recent data, as some states experienced unexpected spikes or dips in total crashes, roadway fatalities, or other key traffic metrics alongside the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. These subtle correlations are still being evaluated by data scientists and public health experts.

California Car Accidents by the Numbers

There are many reputable sources for data about traffic accidents in California and throughout the U.S., including the California Highway Patrol, the California Office of Traffic Safety, and the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Many local and regional newspapers, radio stations, and television newsrooms also do their own analyses of specific traffic issues.

While the numbers can vary slightly from source to source, depending on how exactly crash data is collected and logged, they all tell the same story: driving on California’s roadways puts you at risk of a traffic accident. Here are some key numbers, based on recent years’ data, to support that assertion:

• California sees around 4,000 traffic-related fatalities every year, or 1.4 fatal accidents for every 100 million miles traveled in the state.
• Despite significant resources being put into highway safety initiatives throughout the state, not all recent trends are positive. Total traffic fatalities, fatalities involving alcohol, fatalities involving occupants without seatbelts, motorcycle deaths involving riders without helmets, pedestrian fatalities, and teen drivers involved in fatal crashes all increased from 2020 to 2021. However, bicyclist fatalities decreased.
• In California, roughly one-quarter of total motor vehicle crash fatalities are pedestrians, and around 55% are occupants of cars and passenger trucks (including drivers). The remaining 20% of deaths are attributed to commercial trucks, motorcycles, and bicycles.
• The slight majority (55%) of fatal traffic crashes in California are single-vehicle accidents rather than multi-car freeway pileups.
• Out of all fatally injured drivers in California accidents, 40% are found to have an elevated blood alcohol content. Troublingly, this is on the low end for the United States, with several states and regions seeing up to 80% or 90% of fatally injured drivers potentially impaired by alcohol at the time of death.
  However, 33% of all fatally injured drivers in California crashes who were tested for illegal drugs came back with positive results, so it’s important to remember that alcohol is not the only substance that can contribute to serious traffic accidents.
• Thanks to strict seatbelt laws, California is one of only a handful of states where the majority of traffic fatalities occur despite the victims being properly restrained with a seatbelt. In some other states, 60% or more of fatally injured motor vehicle occupants are found to have not been using their seatbelts. Observed seatbelt use in California is a nation-leading 97%, a major win in the state’s ongoing fight to reduce traffic fatalities.

FAQs About California Car Accident Statistics

What Are the Statistics of Car Accidents in California?

Some of the most important statistics that come into play when analyzing California car accident data for a given year include total vehicle miles traveled (over 300 billion annually), total number of crashes (around 200,000 annually), and total fatalities (around 4,000 annually).

How Many Fatal Car Accidents Occur Each Year in California?

California sees around 4,000 traffic fatalities every year. In 2021, there were 3,983 fatal crashes in the state, resulting in 4,285 total deaths. While comprehensive traffic safety initiatives and smart civic planning have helped to manage these numbers in recent years, total fatalities, unfortunately, trended upwards between 2020 and 2021.

What Is the Law in California for Car Accidents?

There are many different traffic laws in California, with many—if not most—of them specifically designed with roadway safety in mind. There are also a number of legal obligations to consider if you are involved in a car accident. Fleeing the scene of an accident you caused can result in serious criminal penalties, for example. California is not a no-fault state, meaning the party or parties at fault for an accident can be held liable for resulting damages.

How Much Can Someone Sue for a Car Accident in California?

When it comes to the settlements made for victims of car crash injuries in California, there is no legally mandated cap. Rather, the amount that is paid out in a settlement, judgment, or insurance claim will be a factor in the individual circumstances of the crash. Most settlements for car accident injuries tend to fall in the $10,000 to $20,000 range, but compensation packages for serious car accidents can be significantly more lucrative.

Corrales Law Group: Your Trusted California Car Accident Lawyer in Orange County

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in California, you may be able to seek significant financial compensation for medical costs, lost income, property destruction, and other damages. Corrales Law Group can help. Let us guide you through the process of securing fair compensation for your injury while you focus on healing. Call our offices today to get started with a confidential consultation.