California’s roads are among the deadliest in the U.S. During 2023, there were 3,727 fatal motor vehicle crashes across the Golden State, resulting in 4,061 fatalities – 10% of the nation’s total number of motor vehicle fatalities (40,901).
During our latest study, we’ll look closely at the accident rates for both passenger vehicles and large trucks to find out which vehicle type is responsible for most accidents. We’ll do this by focusing on data from the five most populous counties in Southern California; in doing so, we’ll also consider the reasons behind crashes and when they happen.
First up, let’s confirm the five counties that will form the focus of the study.
Southern California: County Crash Data
Los Angeles County is by far the most populous SoCal county, with 9.7 million residents. As well as looking at Los Angeles County data, we’ll also consider crash statistics from San Diego County (3.2 million residents), Orange County (3.1 million),
San Bernardino County (2.5 million) and Riverside County (2.2 million).
These five counties alone account for 20.7 million residents: 52% of California’s population.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, 2,347 vehicles were involved in fatal crashes across these five counties in 2023. 2,177 (92.8%) of these vehicles were light passenger vehicles, with only 170 (7.2%) large trucks or semis involved in deadly crashes.
A narrower focus reveals that passenger cars were involved in nearly half of all fatal crashes: 49.5% of the total. Light trucks also represent a significant share of fatal crashes, with SUVs accounting for 24.8%. Pickups were involved in 14.2% of fatal crashes; vans were involved in 4.2%.
Large trucks, although comprising a smaller proportion of vehicles overall, were involved in 7.2% of fatal crashes, a statistic that underscores the clear risks such heavier vehicles represent.
The ‘Light Truck (Other)’ category comprises only a negligible fraction of the total figure, representing just 0.04% of crashes.
Overall, the numbers confirm that passenger cars and SUVs dominate fatal crash statistics, while large trucks remain a consistent factor, despite a much lower share. But whatever type of vehicle is involved in a crash, the driver’s behavior is usually a critical factor.
Driver Fatal Crash Behavior
Study data highlights not only which driver behaviors lead to crashes, but also how likely specific types of vehicles will suffer crashes due to such dangerous behavior.
Passenger cars lead crash rates across all three main categories (drunk driving, speeding, and distracted driving) with 425 drunk driving crashes, 422 speeding-related crashes, and 23 distracted driving crashes. This tells us that passenger vehicle drivers most frequently exhibit high-risk driving behavior.
SUVs are the vehicles involved in the next highest number of crashes, with 192 drunk driving and 210 speeding crashes, indicating a notable presence in risky driving categories. While SUV distracted driving crash numbers (17) seem low, that still represents a much higher proportion of overall distracted driving crashes.
Pickup trucks are also well represented when it comes to dangerous driving behavior, with 100 drunk driving, 101 speeding, and 9 distracted driving crashes.
Large trucks show a different pattern, with comparatively low drunk driving involvement (41 crashes) but a fairly high number of speeding-related crashes (78), which may reflect commercial driving patterns under time constraints.
Vans are minimally represented across all categories, while light trucks (other) post no reported incidents, confirming negligible involvement. Overall, the data underscores the fact that passenger cars and SUVs are the primary contributors to behavior-related fatal crashes, with large trucks and vans contributing specific, limited numbers.
County-Specific Crash Data
Looking beyond broader SoCal regional crash patterns, the most populous area (Los Angeles County) unsurprisingly stands out as the most affected across all vehicle categories. The county reported the highest number of crashes involving passenger cars (498), SUVs (219), pickup trucks (98), vans (31), and large trucks (78). These figures emphasize the area’s high concentration of traffic, diverse vehicle usage, and comparatively increased exposure to crash risk due to population density and urban sprawl.
San Bernardino County suffers the next-highest crash counts, with notably high SUV (113) and pickup truck (75) numbers, which indicate that light trucks may be more prevalent in areas with longer commutes or more rural driving conditions.
Riverside County posts comparable figures (96 SUVs and 73 pickups were involved in crashes), reinforcing the suggestion that some inland counties have a significant share of larger, utility-based vehicles on the road.
Orange and San Diego Counties, while still showing significant crash numbers, reported lower involvement across nearly all vehicle types.
Orange County, in particular, had the fewest large truck crashes (7) and relatively low pickup and SUV crash numbers, suggesting different vehicle preferences, roadway infrastructure, or driving patterns, compared to its SoCal neighbors.
San Diego, although more populated than Riverside or San Bernardino, reported 147 passenger car crashes and similarly moderate numbers across light trucks, reflecting more urbanized traffic flow, plus stronger infrastructure and traffic enforcement.
Across all five counties, passenger cars were by far the vehicles that crashed most frequently. That said, the data highlights the growing role of light trucks, especially SUVs and pickups, when it comes to regional crash trends. SUVs and pickup fatality numbers are high where crosswalk visibility and intersection design is less pedestrian-friendly.
Their height and size can impede driver vision at intersections, increasing the risk of pedestrian impact. Given the growing SUV and pickup fatality numbers, they may well warrant close scrutiny regarding further road planning analysis and policy changes, especially in areas that feature pedestrian-friendly downtowns or school zones.
Such insights should inform county-level transportation planning, improved driver safety initiatives, and vehicle-specific awareness campaigns, particularly in areas where larger vehicles are more common.
The notable presence of large trucks in Los Angeles and San Bernardino crash figures also raises questions about commercial traffic density and the need for improved safety regulations for heavier vehicles operating in highly populated areas.
Weekend vs. Weekday Crash Comparison
Location is one key data element that can be mined to improve safety measures. But as well as the where of fatal crashes in SoCal, the when is also highly significant regarding the deployment of safety focus and resources.
Weekdays in SoCal saw the most total crashes (1,286, 55% of all crashes). Weekends saw 1,057 (45% of all crashes). So, fatal crashes are slightly more common overall on weekdays, largely due to commute and commercial traffic. But that’s still a lot of fatalities over a condensed two-day period – suggesting that weekends in SoCal still demand serious safety improvement/awareness.
Passenger car crashes are almost equally likely over weekdays and weekends, whereas pickups, vans, and SUVs skew toward weekday crashes, underscoring their comparatively high commute and commercial use. Passenger cars are far more frequently used for weekend leisure travel.
Large trucks are heavily skewed toward weekdays, with 72.3% of fatal crashes occurring between Monday and Friday. This supports the idea that most large truck traffic is tied to commercial operations (numbers that subsequently diminish over the weekend).
Summary
In 2023, there were 3,727 fatal motor vehicle crashes in California, which caused 4,061 fatalities, a number that represented close to 10% of the nation’s 40,901 motor vehicle deaths that year. With a population of 39.2 million, that gives California a fatality rate of 10.4 deaths per 100,000 residents.
Our study pinpoints Southern California’s five most populous counties—Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino—which together account for 52% of California’s population. The five counties shoulder a substantial portion of the state’s road fatalities.
In total, 2,347 vehicles were involved in fatal crashes across the five counties. The overwhelming majority—92.8% (2,177 vehicles)—were passenger cars, while 7.2% (170 vehicles) were large trucks or semis.
This emphasizes the disproportionate crash involvement of cars over commercial vehicles. Light trucks—including SUVs (24.8%), pickup trucks (14.2%), and vans (4.2%)—also represented a significant share of crash-involved vehicles, revealing shifting trends in vehicle ownership and roadway risks.
Although large trucks make up a smaller portion of traffic, their disproportionate involvement in deadly crashes underscores the danger such heavier vehicles represent in high-density areas.
And driver behavior is key to crash outcomes. Passenger car drivers led in all high-risk crash behaviors, including drunk driving (425 crashes), speeding (422), and distracted driving (23), with SUV and pickup drivers next up for the highest behavior-led crash numbers. Interestingly, large truck drivers were involved in relatively few alcohol-related crashes (41).
Yet they were involved in 78 speeding-related crashes, suggesting that commercial drivers—under tight deadlines—may commit speeding offences more often than they indulge other risky driving behaviors. While van drivers and drivers of other light trucks were only minimally involved across all categories.
Regionally, Los Angeles County reported the highest number of crashes across all vehicle types, especially regarding large trucks, SUVs, and passenger cars. This aligns with LA’s sprawling urban design, high traffic volume, and diverse mix of vehicle types.
San Bernardino and Riverside Counties posted the next-highest crash numbers, with a notable uptick in crashes involving pickups and SUVs, a reflection of rural driving patterns and long commutes. In contrast, Orange and San Diego Counties reported relatively few crashes across all categories, with Orange County showing the lowest number of large truck crashes.
In total, 2,347 vehicles were involved in fatal crashes across the five counties. The overwhelming majority—92.8% (2,177 vehicles)—were passenger cars
Crash data also reveals clear weekly trends. Weekdays accounted for 55% of all fatal crashes, with 45% happening over weekends, suggesting that commuter traffic and commercial operations are significant crash contributors.
Large trucks were especially prone to weekday crashes, with 72.3% of their fatal accidents occurring between Monday and Friday, further reinforcing the weekday work-related driving pattern. While passenger vehicles were consistently involved across the week and during weekends, light trucks such as pickups, SUVs, and vans skewed more heavily toward weekdays, likely due to trade work and utility services.
Overall, the study findings illustrate both persistent and shifting risks on Southern California roads. Passenger vehicles remain the leading contributors to fatal crashes, but the increasing presence of light trucks and the weekday prevalence of large truck crashes highlight a need for targeted safety campaigns.
Also much needed are evolving infrastructure planning and better regulation of commercial drivers, especially in counties where population growth, commercial activity, and traffic density collide. Simple measures like the better implementation of affordable technology, such as speed cameras, are proven to cut crashes by 20% and fatalities by 56% in dangerous areas.
Ultimately, as freight commerce inevitably increases during the coming years, the impetus on drivers to hit targets will only worsen SoCal road safety – unless pre-emptive measures are taken.