California fatal crashes in 2004
FARS records 4,120 deaths in 3,727 fatal crashes in California in 2004.
In 2003 it records 4,224 deaths in 3,731 fatal crashes.
In 2004 the rate is 11.6 deaths for each 100,000 residents in California and 14.6 in the United States.
By deaths for each 100,000 residents in 2004, California was number 38 of 51, the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Deaths in California fell by 2.5% from 2003 to 2004. In the United States they fell by 0.1%.
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
2004 beside 2003
| Figure | California, 2004 | California, 2003 | United States, 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 4,120 | 4,224 | 42,836 |
| Fatal crashes | 3,727 | 3,731 | 38,444 |
| Deaths for each 100,000 residents | 11.6 | 12.0 | 14.6 |
| Fatal crashes with a driver recorded as drinking | n/a | n/a | n/a |
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
NHTSA says that its count of drinking drivers is unreliable for 1977, 1981 and 1999 to 2007, because it was derived in a wrong way. This site gives no count for these years.
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 2004
Note: a county with no fatal crash in 2004 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. | 776 | 21.1% |
| 6 a.m. to noon | 649 | 17.7% |
| Noon to 6 p.m. | 1,079 | 29.3% |
| 6 p.m. to midnight | 1,173 | 31.9% |
| Weekday | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 643 | 17.3% |
| Monday | 447 | 12.0% |
| Tuesday | 424 | 11.4% |
| Wednesday | 432 | 11.6% |
| Thursday | 524 | 14.1% |
| Friday | 588 | 15.8% |
| Saturday | 669 | 18.0% |
Note: the tables have the fatal crashes with a known hour or weekday.
Cite this page
Fatal Roads. California fatal crashes in 2004. https://fatalroads.com/state/california/2004/. 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 2004. 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 2004 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 2004 was in California?
California had 4,120 of the 42,836 deaths in the United States in 2004. That is 9.6 percent.
In how many counties of California did FARS record a fatal crash in 2004?
FARS records one or more fatal crashes in 58 counties of California in 2004.