In 2023, Omega Law Group Accident & Injury Attorneys took a closer look at California’s most dangerous highways and the behaviors that cause the state’s most frequent fatal accidents.
Our analysis revealed that the most populous state in the United States sees more traffic on its interstates, but it’s not strictly the volume of people causing deadly accidents.
Instead, California’s most dangerous highways are so dangerous because everyday drivers make decisions that actively put their peers in harm’s way.
People driving to get to work, go to school, and run errands can find themselves on the road next to drivers who disregard local speed limits, ignore basic roadway etiquette, and even get behind the wheel drunk.
Taking a Closer Look at the Golden State
As of 2023, surveys by the Public Policy Institute of California revealed that California plays host to over 39 million people. The state has 396,540 miles of road that residents and tourists alike have to navigate to get to their destinations.
In 2023, those roadways saw approximately 4,000 fatalities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that the United States as a whole saw 40,990 fatal accidents, making California responsible for almost a tenth of the roadway deaths in the nation.
Where Are California’s Most Dangerous Highways?
It’s easy to blame California’s larger-than-average population for the increased dangers drivers face on the state’s interstates. It’s not the number of people on the road causing accidents, though. Instead, accidents on California’s highways tend to stem from driver negligence.
California’s most dangerous highways include:
- I-15 in San Bernardino County, which saw 48 fatalities in 2023
- I-10 in Riverside County, which saw 31 fatalities in 2023
- I-5 in San Diego County, which saw 21 fatalities in 2023
- I-5 in Orange County, which saw 16 fatalities in 2023
- US-101 in Santa Barbara County, which saw 15 fatalities in 2023
As of 2023, a study revealed that speeding caused 19.7% of these accidents. Comparatively, texting and driving caused 19%, and drunk driving caused 17.5%.
Bad road surfaces, drugged driving, and the broad category of distracted driving caused 12.6%, 10.8%, and 7.8% of accidents, respectively.
Internal car distractions, lack of seatbelts, and other factors contributed to the remaining 5.9%, 5.7%, and 0.8% of other fatal accidents. The California Office of Traffic Safety breaks these statistics down in greater detail.
What Causes California’s Most Dangerous Accidents?
By the end of 2023, it was clear that speeding, texting and driving, and drunk driving caused the bulk of fatal accidents in California. Those causes have remained consistent problems over the past several years, particularly in some of California’s most dangerous counties.
For example, between 2018 and 2022, San Bernardino County saw 34% of its crashes caused by speeding and 20% more caused by intoxicated driving. Riverside County saw similar statistics, with 31% of its accidents stemming from speeding while 26% stemmed from intoxicated driving.
Take a closer look at our breakdown of the percentages in the top five most dangerous counties in California:
| County | Speeding Accidents | Drunk Driving Accidents |
| San Bernardino County | 34% | 20% |
| Riverside County | 31% | 26% |
| San Diego County | 31% | 20% |
| Orange County | 34% | 23% |
| Santa Barbara County | 31% | 20% |
The majority of these accidents take place at 8 pm, according to available data, with Consumer Affairs reporting that Saturday and Sunday are the most dangerous days of the week for Californians to hit the road.
Why do People Drive Dangerously in California?
Driving dangerously is a choice. A driver can choose to get behind the wheel of a car intoxicated or under the influence of drugs. Drivers choose to speed, sometimes because they’re running late to a meeting and other times for the thrill of it.
Even though numerous studies have shown that texting and driving pose a concrete danger to everyone’s safety on the road, people continue to do it.
These behaviors constitute a direct violation of the duty of care a driver owes to the people around them. Fortunately, the people who find themselves involved in accidents with people who’ve engaged in deliberately negligent or reckless behavior have legal recourse available to them.
Accident victims can contact experienced personal injury lawyers for help recovering.
What Steps Can You Take to Protect Yourself on the Road?
While you can’t control how other people behave on California’s most dangerous highways, there are steps you can take to minimize your risk of injury. Knowing which of the state’s highways pose the greatest threat to your safety is a great first step.
You can also choose to:
- Obey the speed limit
- Make sure your car’s mirrors are clean and you can see the highway lanes behind you
- Signal when shifting lanes
- Turn on your headlights when it gets dark
- Leave from a location a little early if you want to avoid rushing to your destination
- Keep a careful eye out for pedestrians, motorcyclists, and your fellow drivers
- Put your phone on Do Not Disturb, or hand it to the person in your passenger seat
If you plan on drinking during the evening, it is always in your best interest to elect a designated driver (DD) ahead of time. Many bars and restaurants will offer designated drivers free non-alcoholic beverages throughout the evening to ensure that you and your loved ones get home safely.
Omega Law Group wants everyone on California’s interstates to stay as safe as possible. We hope that by increasing awareness about the most dangerous interstates and the common causes behind today’s fatal accidents, we can reduce the number of collisions California sees from year to year.
