During the pandemic, California officials noticed a worrying rise in traffic deaths, even as fewer people were using the roads.
Now, as more drivers return to the roads, there are signs that dangerous driving has continued.
Car accident deaths rose 17% between 2018 and 2022 in the state, according to a new report from ConsumerAffairs, a consumer news platform.
And the deadliest stretches of California roadway were all in Southern California, the data showed.
“This is a crisis that needs to be reversed,” Timothy Weisberg, a spokesman for the California Office of Traffic Safety, told ConsumerAffairs. “During the pandemic, we saw more of these dangerous driving behaviors.”
The five deadliest stretches are listed below.
- Interstate 15 in San Bernardino County: 48 deaths in 2022, up from 33 in 2018
- Interstate 10 in Riverside County: 31 deaths in 2022, up from 25 in 2018
- Interstate 5 in San Diego County: 21 deaths in 2022, up from 19 in 2018
- Interstate 5 in Orange County: 16 deaths in 2022, up from 14 in 2018
- US 101 in Santa Barbara County: 15 deaths in 2022, up from 7 in 2018
Overall, San Bernardino County was the state's deadliest large county, with more than 20 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2022, data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed.
Speeding was often the culprit. In 2018, speeding was involved in 26% of fatal car accidents. By 2022, that figure had risen to 31%, according to the report.
At the same time, drunk driving was involved in fewer fatal accidents: from 24% in 2018 to 13% in 2022.
The deadliest hours to be on the road were 6 p.m. and midnight, during which 36% of fatal accidents occurred in 2022.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles faces its own battle with increased traffic and pedestrian deaths. Car accidents killed more people in the city than homicides in 2023.
The statistics represent “unsustainable circumstances that threaten our community,” then-Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said at a news conference in January.
The rise in dangerous driving has also led state officials to consider installing speed cameras in cities across California.
A pilot program announced in 2023 will allow cameras to be installed in six cities: Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, Long Beach and San Francisco.
Times staff writers Rachel Uranga and Libor Jany contributed to this report.
