As summer winds down, there’s still time to get in those road trips before the kids head back to school. Everyone knows it’s important to follow the rules of the road, understand that speed limits aren’t optional, and to be courteous to fellow drivers. Serving as an ounce of prevention as you venture out on those late-season trips, we’ll let you in on the California cities with the highest collision rates and types of accidents.
Traffic Accident Stats
According to information gathered by the California Highway Patrol (yep, CHiPs) in 2022, here is an overview of some sobering traffic stats:
General Overview
Number of Reported Traffic Accidents: 216,366
- 165,978 Injuries
- 3,854 Fatalities
California Cities with the Highest Collision Rates
- Los Angeles: 36,562 reported accidents
- San Diego: 17,851
- San Francisco: 14,915
- Sacramento: 13,845
Type of Accidents
- Rear-end Collision: 27%
- Broadside/T-bone Collision: 20%
- Sideswipe Collision: 13%
- Head-on Collision: 5%
- Single Vehicle Accident: 2%
- Other: 33%
Collision Causes
- Speeding: 34% of all accidents
- Distracted driving: 21%
- Failure to yield: 9%
- DUI: 8%
- Other: 28%
While reviewing the reported accident data and understanding that all accidents involve some level of driver error or inattentiveness, there’s still one surprising statistic. The statistic that stands out and is most alarming is the high percentage of all accidents caused by speeding.
If traveling during high traffic volume periods or in unfamiliar locations, you can see how important it is for drivers to slow down and give themselves plenty of room to stop.
Preventative Safety Strategies
In addition to slowing down, other precautions for a safe road trip include:
- Perform a vehicle inspection to make sure fluids are topped off, oil is changed, and tires are properly inflated.
- Check for potential delays ahead of time due to road construction or closures.
- Pack a well-stocked emergency roadside kit just in case.
- Keep a charged cell phone handy.
- Pay attention to all road signs and obey all standard traffic laws.
- Avoid travel during especially heavy times of day such as work commutes.
- Avoid driving in heavy rains, especially at night.
- Avoid distracted and drowsy driving.
- Wear seat belts…always.
Conclusion
Enjoying those late-season road trips should be a fun adventure. By slowing down and obeying traffic laws, you should be able to breeze through even those high-collision risk areas throughout the Golden State.
If you should be involved in an accident, know that at Downtown Autobody in Santa Rosa, CA, we’re here to help restore your vehicle to pre-collision condition. Drive safe, and happy travels!