I-5 in California: fatal crashes
From 2015 to 2024, 1,214 fatal crashes on I-5 in California killed 1,396 people, the most of any numbered road in California. In 2024 there were 133 fatal crashes and 154 deaths on the road.
An interstate running through 19 counties of California. All fatal crashes in California. I-5 in every state.
Deaths on I-5 in California by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 133 | 154 |
| 2023 | 106 | 123 |
| 2022 | 132 | 149 |
| 2021 | 155 | 178 |
| 2020 | 120 | 131 |
| 2019 | 108 | 124 |
| 2018 | 126 | 160 |
| 2017 | 122 | 139 |
| 2016 | 108 | 126 |
| 2015 | 104 | 112 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Where on I-5 in California: the counties with the most fatal crashes
San Diego County had the most fatal crashes on I-5 from 2015 to 2024: 237, with 262 deaths. San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange counties together held 48% of fatal crashes on I-5 in California from 2015 to 2024; the 15 listed held 97%. Counties are listed from 5 fatal crashes.
| County | 2024 | 2015 to 2024 | Deaths | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego County | 29 | 237 | 262 |
| 2 | Los Angeles County | 25 | 221 | 251 |
| 3 | Orange County | 15 | 126 | 136 |
| 4 | San Joaquin County | 12 | 107 | 122 |
| 5 | Kern County | 10 | 95 | 118 |
| 6 | Sacramento County | 12 | 90 | 98 |
| 7 | Fresno County | 2 | 46 | 61 |
| 8 | Merced County | 7 | 39 | 46 |
| 9 | Siskiyou County | 3 | 38 | 41 |
| 10 | Shasta County | 5 | 36 | 39 |
| 11 | Stanislaus County | 2 | 32 | 35 |
| 12 | Yolo County | 2 | 31 | 40 |
| 13 | Tehama County | 2 | 28 | 36 |
| 14 | Glenn County | 2 | 27 | 34 |
| 15 | Colusa County | 1 | 21 | 30 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
When fatal crashes happen on I-5 in California
The heaviest slot is Saturday, midnight to 4 am (the night from Friday), with 75 fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024. The worst hour is 3 am to 4 am; the worst month is August.
| Midnight to 4 | 4 to 8 am | 8 to noon | Noon to 4 | 4 to 8 pm | 8 to midnight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 5.8 percent, 69 fatal crashes | 4.1 percent, 48 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 24 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 12 fatal crashes | 2.5 percent, 30 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 41 fatal crashes |
| Mon | 3.0 percent, 35 fatal crashes | 2.5 percent, 30 fatal crashes | 1.8 percent, 21 fatal crashes | 1.1 percent, 13 fatal crashes | 1.9 percent, 22 fatal crashes | 2.7 percent, 32 fatal crashes |
| Tue | 3.1 percent, 37 fatal crashes | 1.6 percent, 19 fatal crashes | 1.1 percent, 13 fatal crashes | 1.7 percent, 20 fatal crashes | 1.4 percent, 16 fatal crashes | 2.9 percent, 34 fatal crashes |
| Wed | 2.9 percent, 34 fatal crashes | 2.4 percent, 29 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 12 fatal crashes | 1.4 percent, 16 fatal crashes | 1.7 percent, 20 fatal crashes | 2.8 percent, 33 fatal crashes |
| Thu | 3.7 percent, 44 fatal crashes | 2.5 percent, 30 fatal crashes | 1.4 percent, 16 fatal crashes | 0.8 percent, 10 fatal crashes | 1.1 percent, 13 fatal crashes | 2.5 percent, 30 fatal crashes |
| Fri | 2.8 percent, 33 fatal crashes | 2.5 percent, 30 fatal crashes | 0.9 percent, 11 fatal crashes | 1.3 percent, 15 fatal crashes | 2.2 percent, 26 fatal crashes | 3.6 percent, 43 fatal crashes |
| Sat | 6.3 percent, 75 fatal crashes | 3.5 percent, 41 fatal crashes | 1.3 percent, 15 fatal crashes | 2.5 percent, 30 fatal crashes | 2.4 percent, 29 fatal crashes | 2.9 percent, 34 fatal crashes |
By hour
By month
- Jan7.0%
- Feb7.6%
- Mar9.1%
- Apr7.4%
- May7.7%
- Jun9.1%
- Jul8.2%
- Aug10.5%
- Sep8.4%
- Oct8.4%
- Nov8.6%
- Dec7.9%
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Fatal crashes per mile on I-5 in California
15.2 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024, on 797 miles of I-5 in California, against 16.5 for all interstates in California. That ranks 4 of 6 interstates in California and 28 of 172 interstate pages on this site.
Mileage from the FHWA Interstate route log (table 1), the only figure here not counted from FARS. Crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle: FARS records crashes, not traffic.
What fatal crashes on I-5 in California first hit
The first harmful event was a collision with another vehicle in 37%; a fixed object such as a tree, pole or barrier in 27%, a pedestrian in 20%, a rollover in 10%.
| First harmful event | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Collision with another vehicle | 444 | 37% |
| Fixed object (tree, pole, barrier, ditch) | 323 | 27% |
| Pedestrian | 237 | 20% |
| Rollover | 126 | 10% |
| Parked vehicle | 44 | 3.6% |
| Other | 33 | 2.7% |
| Cyclist | 7 | 0.6% |
| Not reported | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
How fatal crashes on I-5 in California compare with the state
The largest difference from California: from 2015 to 2024, 0.2% of fatal crashes on I-5 in California were at or near an intersection, against 27% across California. Also above the California share: rural roads, unlit roads at night and distracted drivers. Below it: hit-and-runs, motorcycles and pedestrians. Shares of fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, against the share across all of California. A share is only given over 20 crashes; above or below means more than chance would give on 1,214 crashes.
| I-5 | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| On rural stretches | 37% | 30% | above the California share |
| At or near an intersection | 0.2% | 27% | below the California share |
| In the dark, road unlit | 39% | 25% | above the California share |
| A drinking driver | 27% | 28% | about the same as the California share |
| Speeding | 33% | 30% | about the same as the California share |
| A distracted driver (as recorded) | 5.8% | 4.1% | above the California share |
| Occupants killed unbelted | 39% | 38% | about the same as the California share |
| Hit-and-run | 8.2% | 11% | below the California share |
| A motorcycle involved | 11% | 15% | below the California share |
| Pedestrians among the dead | 20% | 26% | below the California share |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Questions about fatal crashes on I-5 in California
- How many fatal crashes have there been on I-5 in California?
- 1,214 fatal crashes killed 1,396 people on I-5 in California from 2015 to 2024. In 2024 there were 133 fatal crashes and 154 deaths. Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
- Where on I-5 in California do the most fatal crashes happen?
- San Diego County had the most fatal crashes on I-5 from 2015 to 2024: 237, with 262 deaths. Los Angeles County was second with 221.
- When do fatal crashes on I-5 in California happen most often?
- The heaviest slot from 2015 to 2024 was Saturday, midnight to 4 am (the night from Friday), with 75 fatal crashes.
- How dangerous is I-5 in California per mile?
- 15.2 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024, on 797 miles of road, against 16.5 for all interstates in California. That ranks 4 of 6 interstates in California and 28 of 172 interstate pages on this site. FARS records crashes, not traffic, so this is crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle.
Other roads in California with a page
All fatal crashes in California, with every road ranked.
Where the I-5 numbers come from
Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Annual Report File: every fatal crash whose road NHTSA filed as I-5 in California (filed under 35 spellings, such as "I-5", "I-5 SANTA ANA FWY", "I-5 (GOLDEN STATE FREEWAY)", "I-5 CASCADE WONDERLAND HWY"). Ramps, frontage and service roads are left out. Where two routes share a road, NHTSA files each crash under one of them, so a shared stretch counts on one route only. A fatal crash is one in which someone died within 30 days. Totals in state and news reports for a road usually differ: they include ramps and frontage roads, or count from preliminary reports. The full method.