California’s most dangerous roads ranked in new study. How did your city fare?
If you’ve done much driving around California, you know how wild the roads can get.
From gridlock traffic to washed-out cliffsides, drivers can encounter a range of challenges in the Golden State.
Australian car insurance marketplace iSelect recently analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System to determine the most dangerous road in the United States.
Across the nation, the majority of fatal crashes over the past five years — 42% — occurred on state highways, the study found, compared to 23% on U.S. highways, 18% on interstate highways and 17% on local streets.
California was among the top three states where interstates pose the most risk of fatal crashes, “reflecting long-distance travel, higher speeds and rural highway exposure,” iSelect said.
According to the study, these are the most dangerous places to drive in California:
How dangerous are California interstates?
To determine the most dangerous roads in California, experts with iSelect analyzed deadly crashes in California from 2019 to 2023, the latest data available from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
During that time period, there were 19,241 fatal crashes on California roads.
According to the iSelect study, 29% of fatal crashes in California occurred on interstate highways — making it the third worst state for deadly interstate collisions in the nation.
In comparison, crashes on interstates accounted for 35% of traffic fatalities in Wyoming and 31% of traffic deaths in Massachusetts.
In California, 49% of deadly crashes from 2019 to 2023 happened on state highways, iSelect found, while 8% occurred on U.S. highways and 15% occurred on local roads.
What are top 10 deadliest roads to drive in California?
According to iSelect, these were the 10 most dangerous interstates and highways in California, and how many fatal crashes took place over a five-year period:
- 1. Interstate 5: 536 fatal crashes
- 2. Highway 101: 409
- 3. Highway 99 368
- 4. Interstate 15: 290
- 5. Interstate 10: 252
- 6. Interstate 80: 211
- 7. Highway 1: 154
- 8. Highway 91: 121
- 9. Highway 4: 110
- 10. Interstate 215: 98
Which California cities had the most fatal crashes?
Fresno and Sacramento both landed on iSelect’s list of the top five cities with the most fatal crashes over five years.
The following California cities had the highest number of deadly crashes over a five-year period, according to the study:
- 1. Los Angeles: 1,516 fatal crashes
- 2. San Diego: 496
- 3. San Jose: 337
- 4. Fresno: 307
- 5. Sacramento: 290
- 6. Bakersfield: 265
- 7. San Bernardino: 211
- 8. Riverside: 200
- 9. Long Beach: 198
- 10. Oakland: 171
What are the deadliest roads in Fresno? Sacramento?
iSelect also determined the deadliest roads in each California city, based on the number of fatal crashes from 2019 to 2023.
According to the study, these were the most dangerous roads in Fresno:
- 1. Highway 99: 26 fatal crashes
- 2. Highway 41: 15
- 3. Blackstone Avenue: 13
- 4. Belmont Avenue: 11
- 5. Shields Avenue: 11
The most dangerous roads in Sacramento were
- 1. I-5: 23 fatal crashes
- 2. Highway 50: 15
- 3. Highway 99: 13
- 4. Fruitridge Road: 12
- 5. Highway 51: 11 fatal crashes
What about Modesto and Merced?
According to the iSelect study, these were the deadliest roads in Modesto based on traffic fatalities over a five-year period:
- 1. Highway 99: 9 fatal crashes
- 2. Highway 108/McHenry Avenue: 6
- 3. Coffee Road: 5
- 4. Standiford Avenue: 5
- 5. Pelandale Avenue: 4
Researchers with iSelect said these were Merced’s deadliest roads:
- 1. G Street: 8 fatal crashes
- 2. M Street: 3
- 3. Highway 99: 3
- 4. East 21st Street: 2
- 5. East Childs Avenue: 2
Where are San Luis Obispo’s most dangerous roads?
According to iSelect, the city of San Luis Obispo saw the most fatal crashes over five years on the following roads:
- 1. Broad Street: 2 fatal crashes
- 2. Los Osos Valley Road: 2
- 3. Highway 101: 2
- 4. Foothill Boulevard: 1
- 5. Higuera Street: 1
