California is a large state with thousands of miles of roads, highways, and interstates within its borders. The state also has one of the nation’s highest numbers of traffic fatalities. From Sacramento to Encino, CA, thousands of people die in motor vehicle accidents annually. Some of these deadly collisions happen on highways you and others use daily.
What Are the Most Dangerous Roads in California?
There are several ways to identify and rank the deadliest highways in California, but the easiest method is to look for those places that have a significant number of fatal wrecks. When looking for those highways that had some of the highest numbers of car accidents resulting in death, the following stretches of roadway stand out.
Interstate 15
Interstate 15’s southern end meets with Interstate 8 near San Diego, and its northern end is at the country’s northern border with Canada. However, the portion of this highway that runs through San Bernardino County has the distinction of being the deadliest stretch of highway in the entire state. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2022, 48 people died in traffic collisions along this portion of I-15.
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 is not just one of the most dangerous highways in California but in the country as well. It runs north-south from San Diego County to the U.S.-Canadian border. Within California, this highway passes through San Diego County and Orange County, where a combined total of 37 traffic deaths occurred, according to the NHTSA.
Interstate 10
Another of the state’s deadliest highways is I-10. This east-west highway runs from Santa Monica and the Pacific Ocean to Jacksonville, Florida. The California segment connects Los Angeles with other cities like Palm Springs, Beaumont, and Calimesa.
According to the NHTSA, there were 31 traffic-related deaths on I-10 in 2022 within Riverside County alone. An additional 14 deaths occurred that same year along the stretch of I-10 that runs through Los Angeles County.
US-101
U.S. Highway 101 runs for over 1,500 miles, but it is the portion that passes through Santa Barbara County that is problematic from a safety standpoint. This segment had 15 traffic fatalities in 2022, according to the NHTSA. That same year, 2,557 people were injured or killed in motor vehicle accidents throughout Santa Barbara County.
This highway in California also passes through Santa Clara County. In 2022, Highway 101 was the site of 13 additional traffic-related deaths in Santa Clara County, according to the NHTSA.
Interstate 880
NHTSA statistics show that fourteen people lost their lives along Interstate 880 in Alameda County alone in 2022. That number equates to approximately one person dying for every four miles of interstate. These numbers are all the more surprising, considering that I-880 is less than 50 miles in length.
State Route 4
State Route 4 is the only California state route to make the list of the state’s most dangerous highways. This road runs 197 miles from San Francisco to State Route 89. Along its way, State Route 4 passes through Contra Costa County. In 2022, 13 individuals lost their lives in traffic crashes in this county on State Route 4, according to NHTSA information.
What Can Be Done About California’s Dangerous Roads?
The highways identified as being the most dangerous in the state carry a large volume of traffic every day, sometimes across multiple states. There is no simple way to make these stretches of highway safer overnight. The sheer number of cars and trucks that use these roads means there will always be an elevated risk of traffic deaths and injuries.
Nonetheless, drivers can reduce their personal risk of harm by driving defensively and remaining fully aware of the dangers these roads pose. This improves the chances of drivers reaching their destinations safely rather than becoming involved in another deadly crash.
