Think You Can Guess The Most Dangerous Counties for California Drivers?

Auto Accidents

Sep 1

Written By Lisa Norman

Photo of a car crashed off the side of the road

Published: September 1, 2025. Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes

We all know that more people usually means more cars, and more cars mean more accidents. It’s simple math… right?

It turns out, California’s stats tell a more surprising story than even we expected.

As we move into Auto Accident Awareness Month this September, we’re launching our new blog to dig into the data and the stories behind it. Our mission is to provide California residents with the knowledge they need to stay safe and protect their rights, no matter where they drive, bike, and walk.

Make sure to grab our guide: The Post-Accident Checklist, designed to give you peace of mind should you find yourself in a fender-bender.

Let’s get into it. In 2024, California had 17,046 major auto accidents that resulted in Fatalities or Serious Injuries—FSI crashes for short. (For a more complete definition, check out our Legal Glossary.)

As you might expect, the top ten are also roughly the counties with the highest populations:

California Counties With Highest Number of Serious Auto Accidents in 2024:

Los Angeles County - 4,351 accidents
San Diego County - 1,160 accidents
Riverside County - 1,066 accidents
San Bernardino County - 1,041 accidents
Orange County - 927 accidents
Sacramento County - 801 accidents
Alameda County - 571 accidents
Kern County - 542 accidents
Fresno County - 516 accidents
Santa Clara County - 495 accidents

Yes, anyone who immediately yelled “L.A.!” at the screen is correct. But take another look at California’s two most populous counties. Last year, Los Angeles County, with a population of ~9.7 million, reported 4,351 major crashes.

Now compare that to San Diego County. With a population of 3.3 million—roughly a third the size of LA—you might expect it to have roughly a third of the serious crashes. But it reported 1,160 major crashes.

That’s not a simple 3:1 ratio. LA County’s population is about 3 times larger, but its rate of serious crashes is nearly 4 times higher. This suggests that the risk for serious accidents isn’t just about how many people live there—it’s about other factors on the road.

What’s going on with LA?

Like any situation that involves millions of people, the full picture is messy. Based on the most recent DoT report we found (from 2022), LA County has about ~22,392 miles of maintained roads to California’s overall ~182,103 miles. In other words, Los Angeles accounts for over 20% of all crashes in California, despite having only 12% of the state’s roadways.

So, it’s not simply about having more roads. It’s about having a higher density of people on the roads in a highly car-dependent city, combined with other contributing factors that range from complex freeway interchanges, to infrastructure in disrepair, to aggressive and distracted drivers.

Now, let’s turn things on their head. When we look at driving risk per capita, suddenly some more rural counties come to the forefront. According to recent data from the California Office of Traffic Safety, some of the state's most dangerous counties for collisions include:

Butte County: Often ranking high for fatal collisions per capita.
Shasta County: Consistently has a high rate of injury collisions.
Tulare County: Sees a significant number of crashes relative to its population.
Dis-honorable mentions for San Joaquin and Kern Counties, which both ranked high in per capita serious crashes.

Sources:

Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) by UC Berkeley SafeTREC

Caltrans: California 2022 Public Road Data report, Released Nov. 2023 by the Governor’s Office.

California Fatality an Injury Statistics (SWITRS)

California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS): Data & Statistics

When a Crash Happens, Knowing Your Next Step is Critical

Even the most cautious drivers can find themselves in a collision. And when it happens, the path forward isn’t always clear. Many people believe they only need a lawyer if they’ve been seriously hurt in a wreck, but that’s a dangerous misconception.

What if the other driver is uninsured? What if their insurance company offers a settlement that doesn’t cover your medical bills? What if your “minor” neck pain turns out to be a long-term injury?

These are the complex situations where having an expert advocate is crucial. In our very next blog post, we dive deep into this topic:

→ Read the Full Article: 5 Reasons to Hire a Lawyer

Your Advocates, All Year Round

Our commitment to our community doesn’t stop at the scene of a crash. Whether you’re dealing with the aftermath of a:

Auto Accident
Truck or Big Rig Collision
Motorcycle Wreck
Or any other personal injury matter...

...our firm is here to help you navigate the legal system and fight for the compensation you deserve.

No matter where you drive—from the 101 to the 5 to the 99—or whether you drive at all, understanding the risks is the first step toward staying safe. Stay safe out there, California.

Sincerely,

The Team at Caldwell Law Firm

Black and white portrait of a white man in a suit

Michael Train Caldwell was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and resides in Marin County with his two children. The son of renowned San Francisco trial attorney, Edwin Train Caldwell, Michael comes from a family of litigators, and has been representing individuals facing injury and discrimination for over 20 years.