Traffic collisions are a fact of life. With more vehicles on the road than ever before, it is a fact of life that there will be more accidents. Traffic patrols across the nation are stepping up their enforcement and are having considerable success in bringing the rate of fatal and nonfatal accidents down.
The CHP incident report archives are used to develop hard-hitting statistics highlighting the extent of safety on the roadways of California. By using the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), CHP builds regular reports to provide a deep and reliable source of information on accidents in California.
The most recent SWITRS report reveals that over 260,000 people were injured in 187,211 crashes in California. Additionally, 3,737 people were killed in 3,438 fatal crashes.
Several vital statistics declined from 2018 to 2019, including:
Total fatalities dropped by more than 5%
Fatal crashes involving alcohol declined by 4.5%
Fatalities involving people not wearing in-car restraints decreased by more than 2%
Motorcycle fatalities involving not wearing a helmet decreased
Fatalities involving teenage drivers and passengers decreased by double-digits.