California fatal crashes in 1989
FARS records 5,412 deaths in 4,877 fatal crashes in California in 1989.
In 1988 it records 5,392 deaths in 4,875 fatal crashes.
This site gives no rate for the years before 2000.
Deaths in California rose by 0.4% from 1988 to 1989. In the United States they fell by 3.2%.
In 1989, a driver was recorded as drinking in 42.4% of fatal crashes in California and 39.5% in the United States.
To qualify as a FARS case, the crash had to involve a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public and must have resulted in the death of a motorist or a non-motorist within 30 days of the crash.
The set of first files, known as the Annual Report File (ARF), is released following the crash year. The ARF is replaced about a year later with a final file, which contains additional cases or updates to cases that had become available after the ARF was released.
NHTSA's words. Source: NHTSA, Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794, April 2026), copied on .
This site reads the years before 2015 from one fixed copy. It does not track later revisions of these years. Release dates
1989 beside 1988
| Figure | California, 1989 | California, 1988 | United States, 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 5,412 | 5,392 | 45,582 |
| Fatal crashes | 4,877 | 4,875 | 40,741 |
| Deaths for each 100,000 residents | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Fatal crashes with a driver recorded as drinking | 2,066 | 2,025 | 16,080 |
Note: this site has no rate for the years before 2000.
Note: FARS records a driver as drinking when police reported alcohol involvement or a test of the driver was positive for alcohol. It is not NHTSA's alcohol-impaired measure. NHTSA's definitions
For the years before 2015 the count is from the FARS element DRUNK_DR. It counts a blood alcohol concentration of .01 g/dL or more. From 2015 the count is from DR_DRINK and counts .001 g/dL or more.
Counties in 1989
Note: a county with no fatal crash in 1989 is not in the table. A count of 1 or 2 is written "1 or 2".
Time of day and weekday
| Time of day | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Midnight to 6 a.m. | 1,001 | 20.8% |
| 6 a.m. to noon | 746 | 15.5% |
| Noon to 6 p.m. | 1,336 | 27.8% |
| 6 p.m. to midnight | 1,725 | 35.9% |
| Weekday | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 853 | 17.5% |
| Monday | 583 | 12.0% |
| Tuesday | 580 | 11.9% |
| Wednesday | 561 | 11.5% |
| Thursday | 615 | 12.6% |
| Friday | 762 | 15.6% |
| Saturday | 923 | 18.9% |
Note: the tables have the fatal crashes with a known hour or weekday.
Cite this page
Fatal Roads. California fatal crashes in 1989. https://fatalroads.com/state/california/1989/. Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, FARS 2024 annual file. Data to .
The address of this page does not change.
Source of the figures
Counts: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System, national file of 1989. This site reads the years before 2015 from one fixed copy. It does not track later revisions of these years. Residents: Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, vintage 2025. Data to .
How the figures are made. Data sources and licences. Corrections.
Questions
Which file does the 1989 page use?
This site reads the years before 2015 from one fixed copy. It does not track later revisions of these years.
What part of the deaths in the United States in 1989 was in California?
California had 5,412 of the 45,582 deaths in the United States in 1989. That is 11.9 percent.
In how many counties of California did FARS record a fatal crash in 1989?
FARS records one or more fatal crashes in 58 counties of California in 1989.
How many fatal crashes in California in 1989 had a driver recorded as drinking?
FARS records a driver as drinking in 2,066 of 4,877 fatal crashes in 1989.