California crash data
Every figure on these pages is a count taken from California's own public crash records. Nothing is estimated, and nothing is projected. If you want to check a number, the files are public and the method is written down.
Statewide, 2023 and 2024
| Year | Crashes reported | People killed | People injured |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 409,824 | 4,270 | 230,846 |
| 2024 | 417,147 | 4,059 | 237,008 |
| Both years | 826,971 | 8,329 | 467,854 |
Across both years, 26,529 of those crashes were recorded as involving a pedestrian, 18,749 a bicycle, and 25,496 a motorcycle. Los Angeles County accounts for 212,052 of the statewide total — which is mostly a statement about how many people live and drive there.
What this is
A count of crashes that were reported. A collision nobody reported to police is not in this data, so the totals understate what actually happened on the road by an amount nobody can measure.
It is also a count, not a rate. Ranking counties by crash count ranks them substantially by population. There is no adjustment here for how many people live somewhere or how far they drive, and there is no way to add one honestly from this dataset alone.
What this is not
It is not a guide to any individual claim. It does not say who was at fault in any crash, what insurance was in place, how badly anyone was hurt, or how anything was resolved. A county total cannot predict what happens in a particular case, and nothing here is offered as if it could.
The pages
- Crashes by county — all 58, ranked, with people killed and injured.
- Road pairings — the road-and-cross-street combinations named most often, and what that can and cannot mean.
- Pedestrian crashes — statewide and by county, with what the report records about the pedestrian's movement.
- Bicycle crashes — statewide and by county.
- Motorcycle crashes — counted from the party records, which changes what the number means.
- Methodology — the sources, every definition, and the limitations at length.
Download it
California crash counts by county (CSV) — free, no form, no email address, no account. The underlying data is public domain. If you use it, a citation is requested but not required: Slick Nick Law, from CHP CCRS data.
Sources: California Crash Reporting System (CCRS), California Highway Patrol, via the California Open Data Portal. Lineage and limitations: methodology.
Common questions
- Where do these numbers come from?
- The California Crash Reporting System, published by the California Highway Patrol on the California Open Data Portal, in the public domain. Nothing here is estimated or modelled. Every figure is a count of rows or a sum of a column in files anyone can download.
- Does a high crash count mean a county is dangerous?
- Not on its own. These are counts, not rates. The largest counties lead every table because more people live and drive in them. Nothing here is adjusted for population or miles driven, so read a ranking as a ranking by size at least as much as by risk.
- Can I use this data in my own work?
- Yes, and without asking. The county table downloads as a CSV with no form and no email address. The underlying data is public domain. A citation is requested but not required.
- Does any of this tell me about my own crash?
- No. These are statewide and county totals. They say nothing about fault, insurance, or outcome in any particular crash, including yours, and they are not offered as a prediction of anything.
If you were in one of these crashes
On a case review call, I go through the facts with you: what happened, when, whether you were hurt, whether anyone represents you, and how to reach you. It is not legal advice, and I will not put a value on your claim.