These Are CA's 10 Deadliest Roads: Report

CALIFORNIA — Deaths from car crashes spiked in California during the pandemic even as fewer people used the roads and the state's population declined, according to a new report.

A study by ConsumerAffairs found that car crash deaths rose 17% from 2018 to 2022 in the Golden State. Researchers looked at data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to discover where deadly crashes happen and their contributing factors.

Interstate 5, which runs through California, was the state's deadliest road in 2022, according to the report. There were 128 deaths that year, which was down from 150 deaths in 2018.

Researchers also analyzed the deadliest stretches of roads in the state. I-15 in San Bernardino County was the deadliest, with 48 deaths in 2022. That's up from 33 deaths in 2018.

The increase in car crash deaths was reflective of a trend in nine out of the top 10 deadliest roads in California, where fatalities went up in 2022 from pre-pandemic levels in 2018.

Reckless driving and speeding are among the reasons to blame for the rise in traffic deaths, according to traffic safety experts. Dangerous driving habits haven't gone away with the pandemic.

"It's a crisis that needs to be reversed," Timothy Weisberg, a spokesperson for the California Office of Traffic Safety, told ConsumerAffairs. "During the pandemic, we saw more of those dangerous driving behaviors."

These are the top 10 deadliest roads in California, according to the report:

1. Interstate 15 in San Bernardino County: 48 deaths in 2022, up from 33 in 2018
2. Interstate 10 in Riverside County: 31 deaths in 2022, up from 25 in 2018
3. Interstate 5 In San Diego County: 21 deaths in 2022, up from 19 in 2018
4. Interstate 5 in Orange County: 16 deaths in 2022, up from 14 in 2018
5. U.S. 101 in Santa Barbara County: 15 deaths in 2022, up from seven in 2018
6. Interstate 880 in Alameda County: 14 deaths in 2022, up from 11 in 2018
7. State Route 4 in Contra Costa County: 14 deaths in 2022, up from nine in 2018
8. Interstate 10 in Los Angeles County: 14 deaths in 2022, down from 21 in 2018
9. State Route 178 and State Route 99 (tie) in Kern County: 13 deaths in 2022, up from seven in 2018
10. U.S. 101 in Santa Clara County: 13 deaths in 2022, up from 12 in 2018

Read the full report from ConsumerAffairs here.