California fatal crashes in 2010
FARS records 2,720 deaths in 2,504 fatal crashes in California in 2010.
In 2009 it records 3,090 deaths in 2,825 fatal crashes.
In 2010 the rate is 7.3 deaths for each 100,000 residents in California and 10.7 in the United States.
By deaths for each 100,000 residents in 2010, California was number 44 of 51, the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Deaths in California fell by 12.0% from 2009 to 2010. In the United States they fell by 2.6%.
In 2010, a driver was recorded as drinking in 30.0% of fatal crashes in California and 31.7% 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
2010 beside 2009
| Figure | California, 2010 | California, 2009 | United States, 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deaths | 2,720 | 3,090 | 32,999 |
| Fatal crashes | 2,504 | 2,825 | 30,296 |
| Deaths for each 100,000 residents | 7.3 | 8.4 | 10.7 |
| Fatal crashes with a driver recorded as drinking | 752 | 949 | 9,618 |
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 2010
Note: a county with no fatal crash in 2010 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. | 571 | 23.2% |
| 6 a.m. to noon | 460 | 18.7% |
| Noon to 6 p.m. | 647 | 26.3% |
| 6 p.m. to midnight | 783 | 31.8% |
| Weekday | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | 452 | 18.1% |
| Monday | 275 | 11.0% |
| Tuesday | 302 | 12.1% |
| Wednesday | 302 | 12.1% |
| Thursday | 335 | 13.4% |
| Friday | 399 | 15.9% |
| Saturday | 439 | 17.5% |
Note: the tables have the fatal crashes with a known hour or weekday.
Cite this page
Fatal Roads. California fatal crashes in 2010. https://fatalroads.com/state/california/2010/. 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 2010. 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 2010 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 2010 was in California?
California had 2,720 of the 32,999 deaths in the United States in 2010. That is 8.2 percent.
In how many counties of California did FARS record a fatal crash in 2010?
FARS records one or more fatal crashes in 58 counties of California in 2010.
How many fatal crashes in California in 2010 had a driver recorded as drinking?
FARS records a driver as drinking in 752 of 2,504 fatal crashes in 2010.