Car accidents take the lives of Californians every day. Distracted and negligent drivers strike other vehicles and pedestrians, contributing to the annual death toll. California’s large population makes it the state with the highest number of car accidents, injuries, and deaths each year. Focusing too heavily on car accident statistics can make drivers feel like crashes are unavoidable. Yet reviewing the latest car accident statistics for 2018 can also help prevent collisions, by understanding when, where, and why they happen.
Number of Car Accidents in California
Injury deaths took 48 lives per 100,000 population in California in 2018. This was lower than the national average of 65 deaths per 100,000. Motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of unintentional injury deaths in California. Fatal car accidents can happen when drivers drink, drive distracted, speed, and break other roadway rules. It is every driver’s responsibility to reasonably prevent accidents with prudence behind the wheel.
- The State of California. In 2017, drivers in California traveled 353,868,000,000 miles. There were 3,304 fatal car accidents and 3,602 related deaths in 2017. In the first six months of 2018, California crash-related deaths (1,538) increased by 3% compared to the first six months of 2017. This sets California to beat 2017’s accident statistics in 2018.
- El Cajon. El Cajon reported 964 victims injured and killed in car accidents the most recent year data is available. Sixty-one involved alcohol. That year victims included 74 motorcyclists, 35 bicyclists, and 64 pedestrians. There were 227 speed-related collisions and 144 driving under the influence (DUI) arrests in El Cajon.
- La Mesa. La Mesa had 399 victims injured and killed in traffic accidents the most recent year data is available. Alcohol contributed to 43 victim injuries and deaths, while speeding caused 103 collisions. Thirty-two of the victims were motorcyclists, 15 were bicyclists, and 19 were pedestrians.
California car accidents leave thousands of people seriously injured, disfigured, and permanently disabled every year. Almost all car accidents are preventable with due diligence behind the wheel. It is up to drivers to avoid causing injuries and deaths by driving safely, carefully, and according to the state’s traffic laws. Breaking the law and breaching driver duties cause most fatal collisions in California. Unfortunately, car crash rates in California have increased the last few years, rather than decreasing.
When, Where, and Why Do California Crashes Happen?
According to national crash data, nighttime and weekends are the most dangerous times for car accidents. In 2016, nighttime accidents accounted for 6.3% of crash fatalities, while daytime accounted for 4.8%. The weekend saw 5.9% of deadly accidents, compared to 5.3% during the week. Driving as much as possible during the day and on weekdays could help you avoid getting into a fatal accident. Around the country, rural crashes take more lives than urban ones. Rural accidents are often at higher speeds, and involve head-on collisions and crash into objects.
The most common causes of car accidents in California are distracted driving, speeding, and drunk driving. Despite laws prohibiting using handheld cell phones behind the wheel, 80% of car accidents involve some form of distracted driving. Over 3,000 people in the U.S. lose their lives in distracted driving crashes every year. Hundreds of thousands of drivers receive tickets for handheld cell phone use in California annually. Distracted driving is a major hazard to California road users.
California car accidents can happen anywhere, at any time, if a driver is not paying attention to the driving task. All drivers must dedicate 100% of their attention to the road, 100% of the time. If a distracted or negligent driver caused your recent crash in California, you may have grounds for a personal injury claim. Discuss your case with a personal injury lawyer today to find out what your case could be worth.