A recently released study revealed that deaths from car crashes rose considerably across California between 2018 and 2022, and data indicates that many of the deadly collisions occurred on SoCal roadways.
According to a report by ConsumerAffairs, there was a 17% increase in car crash deaths between 2018 and 2022 despite the Golden State’s population declining during that same period.
“During the pandemic, we saw more of those dangerous driving behaviors,” California Office of Traffic Safety deputy director of marketing and public affairs Timothy Weisberg told ConsumerAffairs. “It’s a crisis that needs to be reversed.”
Much of that can be attributed to California roads being less congested during the pandemic which caused some motorists to drive faster, traffic safety experts noted, adding that DUI crashes also made up for at least a quarter of deaths on Golden State roadways in both 2018 and 2022.
“Drinking while driving and speeding are much more prevalent in some California counties than others…on average, by county, speeding and drinking were involved in around 28 and 25 percent of fatalities, respectively, between 2018 and 2022,” ConsumerAffairs researchers stated. “Speeding is a much more common factor in fatal crashes in California’s more rural, less populated counties.”
A fatal crash closed lanes on the 10 Freeway in San Gabriel on Feb. 15, 2024. (KTLA) 
A California Highway Patrol motorcycle is seen down on the 15 Freeway on June 27, 2023. (KTLA) 
Authorities investigate after a crash kills a Los Angeles Fire Department recruit on the 101 Freeway in Studio City on April 15, 2024. (KTLA) 
Wreckage seen after a multi-car crash involving alcohol killed three people on the 5 Freeway in Norwalk, CA. Three others were arrested for DUI after the July 16, 2023 crash. (KeyNews)
Overall, the deadliest road in all of California is the 5 Freeway with 128 deaths in 2022, which is down from the 150 deaths reported in 2018, researchers found.
When broken down by county, San Bernardino County ranked as the deadliest for drivers, registering nearly 20 fatalities per 100,000 people in 2022.
This aligns with ConsumerAffairs’ conclusion on the deadliest stretch of roadway in the state: I-15 through San Bernardino County, where an astonishing 48 people died in 2022, an increase of 15 compared to 2018.
Of the ten deadliest roads in the Golden State, six are located in SoCal. They can be viewed in the table below:
| Rank | Roadway | County | Deaths (2018) | Deaths (2022) |
| 1. | Interstate 15 | San Bernardino | 33 | 45 |
| 2. | Interstate 10 | Riverside | 25 | 31 |
| 3. | Interstate 5 | San Diego | 19 | 21 |
| 4. | Interstate 5 | Orange | 14 | 16 |
| 5. | U.S. Route 101 | Santa Barbara | 7 | 15 |
| 6. | Interstate 880 | Alameda | 11 | 14 |
| 7. | State Route 4 | Contra Costa | 9 | 14 |
| 8. | Interstate 10 | Los Angeles | 21 | 14 |
| 9. | State Route 178/State Route 99 (tie) | Kern | 7 | 13 |
| 10. | U.S. Route 101 | Santa Clara | 13 | 12 |
KTLA 5’s Annie Rose Ramos interviewed several drivers on Tuesday morning; one woman told her that there’s only one thing you can do when you see a speeding driver.
“There are crazy people out there that may be busy or in a hurry and they’re going fast,” the woman, only identified as Lisa, told Ramos. “Get out of the way…that’s the only thing you can do.”
In an attempt to bring an end to the deadly trend, the California Office of Traffic Safety has teamed up with Caltrans to launch the Go Safely California education program, which promotes a “safety culture” on Golden State roadways.
Safety tips for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists can be found here.
The full ConsumerAffairs report, which includes more data on factors such as impairment and when crashes occur on an hourly, daily and monthly basis, can be read here.
