Riverside County Traffic Deaths and Injuries by Year

Two official publications give the clearest countywide picture. The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) separates deaths from serious injuries over 2014-2024. The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) reports, for each year, the number of people killed or injured in several crash types on all roads in the county. Because they count differently and cover different periods, their numbers should not be mixed.

Deaths and serious injuries, 2014-2024 (SCAG)

Topic	Verified figure
Yearly average, 2014-2024	2014-2024 average per year in Riverside County: 284 people killed, 887 seriously injured and 12,918 with other injuries in traffic collisions. [source]
Deaths trend	Traffic deaths rose from a low of 246 in 2014 to a decade high of 335 in 2022. [source]
Serious injuries trend	Serious injuries rose from 599 in 2014 to a high of 1,115 in 2022. [source]
Death rate	Riverside County recorded 9 to 14 traffic deaths per 100,000 people over 2014-2024, compared with 8 to 11 for the SCAG region. [source]
Who died	Deaths by role, 2014-2024: drivers 1,760, pedestrians 731, passengers 507 and bicyclists 102. [source]
Age	The 25-to-34 age group had the most deaths (691, over 22 percent) from 2014 to 2024. [source]
People walking or biking	From 2014 to 2024, about 27 percent of people killed were walking or biking, about 76 of the roughly 284 deaths each year. [source]

The SCAG figures come from its Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), Regional Existing Conditions Report, Transportation Safety Program, October 2025. [source] Deaths in 2022 were the highest of the decade.

People killed or injured by crash type, 2017-2023 (OTS)

Each cell shows the count and Riverside County's statewide rank among California's 58 counties, where 1 is the worst. Counties receive statewide rankings, and county figures include all crashes, killed and injured on all roadways within county limits. Cities are ranked within population groups. [source]

Year	Killed or injured, all crashes	Alcohol-involved	Motorcycle	Pedestrian	Bicycle	Speed-related crashes	Hit-and-run crashes
2017 [source]	15,737 (rank 17/58)	1,825 (rank 10/58)	982 (rank 12/58)	612 (rank 54/58)	402 (rank 54/58)	3,725 (rank 24/58)	925 (rank 48/58)
2018 [source]	15,359 (rank 25/58)	1,794 (rank 16/58)	875 (rank 18/58)	564 (rank 54/58)	370 (rank 35/58)	3,592 (rank 31/58)	884 (rank 51/58)
2019 [source]	15,248 (rank 21/58)	1,786 (rank 20/58)	787 (rank 13/58)	498 (rank 55/58)	329 (rank 50/58)	3,681 (rank 27/58)	873 (rank 52/58)
2020 [source]	12,257 (rank 23/58)	1,484 (rank 20/58)	813 (rank 8/58)	473 (rank 50/58)	262 (rank 57/58)	2,613 (rank 16/58)	839 (rank 46/58)
2021 [source]	14,744 (rank 19/58)	2,014 (rank 41/58)	782 (rank 28/58)	477 (rank 39/58)	292 (rank 31/58)	3,227 (rank 12/58)	1,013 (rank 28/58)
2022 [source]	15,151 (rank 10/58)	1,940 (rank 44/58)	1,018 (rank 19/58)	543 (rank 44/58)	320 (rank 34/58)	3,145 (rank 11/58)	1,131 (rank 21/58)
2023 [source]	15,177 (rank 37/58)	2,093 (rank 41/58)	929 (rank 6/58)	608 (rank 33/58)	367 (rank 23/58)	3,094 (rank 30/58)	1,087 (rank 20/58)

The counts are victims killed and injured combined; damage-only crashes are not included. [source] The speed-related and hit-and-run columns count crashes with someone killed or injured.

Where, when and why serious crashes happen

Topic	Verified figure
Type of road	2014-2024: about 60 percent of traffic deaths occurred on local roads, 18 percent on arterials and 22 percent on highways. [source]
Urban or rural	About 87 percent of fatal collisions and 89 percent of serious injury collisions occurred in urbanized and small urban areas. [source]
Hot spots	Fatal-collision hot spots included western Riverside County along and near SR-91, I-15 and I-10, and I-10 in eastern Riverside County and the City of Blythe. [source]
Time of day	The most fatal (590) and serious injury (1,712) collisions from 2014 to 2024 happened between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. [source]
Main causes, fatal collisions	Top primary collision factors in fatal collisions (2014-2024): driving under the influence (25%), improper turning (19%) and pedestrian violation (17%). [source]
Main causes, serious injury collisions	Top primary collision factors in serious injury collisions (2014-2024): driving under the influence (23%), improper turning (21%) and unsafe speed (19%). [source]

The primary collision factor (PCF) is the main cause of the collision as determined by the officer at the scene. [source] That is the officer's judgment at the scene. In an individual case, the officer's conclusion is one piece of evidence and can be challenged with photos, video, witness accounts and reconstruction.

What these numbers mean for someone who was hurt

The countywide figures show that impaired driving, turning mistakes and speed recur in the most serious crashes, and that evenings carry the most risk. None of that establishes fault in a particular collision, but it can help you understand what to look for: whether the other driver was tested for alcohol or drugs (Vehicle Code § 23152), whether speed fit the conditions (Vehicle Code § 22350), and whether a turning driver yielded (Vehicle Code § 21801). Most injury lawsuits must be filed within two years (CCP § 335.1), and claims against a public agency within six months (Gov. Code § 911.2).

Common questions

How many people die in traffic crashes in Riverside County each year?

SCAG reports an average of 284 deaths a year for 2014 through 2024, with a decade high of 335 in 2022 [source].

Why do the OTS and SCAG numbers differ?

OTS combines people killed and injured in each crash type for one year; SCAG separates deaths, serious injuries and other injuries and averages them over 2014-2024. Both use the statewide collision records, but they are built for different purposes.

Where can I get the report for my own crash?

From the agency that responded. Our crash report guide lists the agency for every city.

Every fact on this page links to the official source it came from. We checked each one in September 2026. Agencies change fees and procedures, so confirm with the agency before you go. How we research.

Riverside County traffic deaths and injuries