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Fatal car crashes in Riverside County, California

From 2020 through 2024, 1,618 people died in 1,527 crashes on roads in Riverside County, California.

That is 12.8 deaths a year for every 100,000 residents, above the California rate of 10.7 and above the US rate of 12.1.

I-10 (Redlands Fwy) had more fatal crashes than any other road here: 128, killing 138.

In 2024, 289 people were killed, 7% fewer than in 2020 (311).

Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020-2024 · population: Census 2024 estimate, 2,529,933 · checked October 2, 2026

1,618

people killed in crashes, 2020-2024 (1,527 crashes)

12.8

deaths a year per 100,000 residents (California 10.7, US 12.1)

389

pedestrians killed, 24% of all deaths here

33%

of fatal crashes involved a driver police reported as drinking

Where the fatal crashes happened

Each dot is one crash that killed at least one person, placed at the coordinates in the police report.

one fatal crash, 2020-2024 a large truck was involved (144)

The deadliest roads in Riverside County

I-10 (Redlands Fwy) leads with 128 fatal crashes in five years. Roads are counted by the name in the crash report; a highway's frontage roads and ramps count toward it.

#RoadFatal crashesDeaths
1 I-10 Redlands Fwy 128 138
2 SR-74 Florida Ave 84 86
3 I-15 California Oaks Rd 66 72
4 I-215 Escondido Expy 61 66
5 SR-91 Riverside Fwy 58 60
6 SR-60 Moreno Valley Fwy 52 53
7 SR-79 Winchester Rd 42 45
8 SR-111 Gene Autry Trail 34 40
9 Palm Dr 18 19
10 Ramon Rd 17 17

Deaths by year

Riverside County ranks 3rd of 55 California counties by deaths and 34th by death rate (1st = highest), among counties with 10 or more fatal crashes.

When crashes turn deadly

61% of fatal crashes here happened in the dark. The single deadliest hour was 9 pm to 10 pm.

Saturday had the most fatal crashes (282), and 34% fell on a Saturday or Sunday.

By month, October was the worst (159 crashes across the five years).

What was involved

Shares of fatal crashes (or of deaths) in Riverside County, next to California and the US. Red marks a share at least a quarter higher than the state's.

FactorRiverside CountyShareCaliforniaUS
Speeding was a factor
a driver coded by police as speeding, racing or too fast for conditions
497 33% 32% 28%
A driver had been drinking
police reported alcohol involvement for at least one driver
502 33% 27% 26%
A large truck was involved
a truck over 10,000 lbs
144 9% 10% 13%
Hit-and-run
a driver left the scene
157 10% 12% 7%
Pedestrians killed
share of all deaths
389 24% 27% 18%
Motorcyclists killed
share of all deaths
242 15% 14% 15%
Bicyclists killed
share of all deaths
55 3% 4% 3%
Teens (15-19) killed
share of all deaths
113 7% 6% 7%

After a crash in Riverside County

  1. Get the crash report

    Statewide copies come from California Highway Patrol (CHP), through its Online Crash Report System (Crash Portal) or any CHP Area office, cost CHP 190 by mail or in person: $10.00 for 1-25 pages, $20.00 for 26-50 pages, $30.00 for 51-75 pages, $40.00 for 76-100 pages, with no extra charge for handling or mailing. The online portal fee is not stated on the CHP web pages. and are usually ready typically within eight (8) business days from the date of the crash.

    How to get a California crash report

  2. Know your deadline

    California gives you two years to file a personal injury lawsuit (Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1). If a city, county or state vehicle was involved: A written claim for death, injury to person or injury to personal property must be presented to the public entity within six months after the cause of action accrues (one year for other claims).

    Work out your date

  3. Who pays

    California is an at-fault state: the driver who caused the crash, through their liability insurance, pays for the injuries and damage.

    California car accident laws

  4. If you were partly at fault

    If you were partly at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, and you can still recover even if you were mostly (even 99%) at fault.

    The rule and its statute

  5. The other driver’s minimum coverage

    The legal minimum liability coverage in California is $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per crash and $15,000 for property (30/60/15).

    Every state’s minimums

Check your deadline and a rough claim range

A filing date and a rough value range for California. Both take under a minute.

Check my deadline Estimate my claim

Cities in Riverside County

CityDeaths 2020-24Per 100K a yearPedestriansPopulation
Riverside 196 12.1 58 323,757
Corona 87 10.8 18 161,540
Moreno Valley 81 7.6 25 213,919
Hemet 52 11.2 22 92,912
San Jacinto 52 18.7 13 55,515
Perris 45 10.8 12 83,032
Jurupa Valley 44 8.1 14 108,154
Menifee 43 7.3 6 117,041
Murrieta 41 7.3 8 112,539
Desert Hot Springs 34 20.0 11 33,917
Indio 34 7.2 12 94,275
Temecula 34 6.0 7 112,431
Cathedral City 32 12.2 10 52,517
Palm Desert 25 9.4 5 53,147
Lake Elsinore 23 6.3 1 73,595
Banning 22 13.8 4 31,929

Nearby counties

CountyDistanceDeaths 2020-24Per 100K a yearPedestriansPopulation
Imperial County, California 63 mi 167 18.4 30 181,724
San Diego County, California 72 mi 1,486 9.0 468 3,298,799
San Bernardino County, California 74 mi 1,988 18.0 499 2,214,281
Orange County, California 105 mi 1,103 7.0 385 3,170,435
La Paz County, Arizona 110 mi 94 110.6 7 16,992
Los Angeles County, California 135 mi 4,095 8.4 1,489 9,757,179
Yuma County, Arizona 137 mi 135 12.3 20 220,310
Clark County, Nevada 175 mi 1,245 10.4 362 2,398,871

Every California county

About these numbers

FARS counts every crash on a public road in which someone died within 30 days. It leaves out the far larger number of crashes that only injured people. Places are as coded in the report: a crash on a county road just outside city limits counts for the county, not the city. Rates use the Census 2024 population estimate and the five-year average.

All sources and methods