San Diego Paid Over $31.2M To Settle Claims of City Vehicle Accidents

SAN DIEGO, CA — The city of San Diego paid $31.2 million over a five- year period to settle claims stemming from vehicle accidents involving city- owned vehicles, according to an audit released Monday by the City Auditor's Office.

Monday's report concluded that the city "should take additional steps to increase accountability when city staff are determined to be at fault in vehicle accidents."

The report referenced accidents that occurred between fiscal year 2017 and fiscal year 2021, including a 2019 crash that resulted in a $16 million payout after a woman was severely injured when a police officer crashed into her while she was riding a motorcycle.

Of the 2,853 accidents that were investigated, 1,458 of them were determined to be preventable, the report stated.

Nearly all of the preventable accidents involved six city departments: police, public utilities, fire-rescue, transportation & stormwater, parks and recreation and environmental services.

Among the City Auditor's recommendations were to ensure data on city vehicles that measures speed, braking and seatbelt use are regularly reviewed.

The report stated that city supervisors rarely conduct such reviews — which are required by city policy — and that "there is no citywide process in place" to ensure that they do.

The report also stated that new employees are not trained on all city driving policies and that investigations were never completed on 39 accidents involving city vehicles during the five-year period.

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- City News Service, Inc.