I-40 in California: fatal crashes
From 2015 to 2024, 99 fatal crashes on I-40 in California killed 109 people. In 2024 there were 15 fatal crashes and 15 deaths on the road.
An interstate running through 1 county of California. All fatal crashes in California.
Deaths on I-40 in California by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 15 | 15 |
| 2023 | 8 | 9 |
| 2022 | 7 | 9 |
| 2021 | 15 | 16 |
| 2020 | 8 | 8 |
| 2019 | 16 | 18 |
| 2018 | 9 | 12 |
| 2017 | 6 | 7 |
| 2016 | 8 | 8 |
| 2015 | 7 | 7 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Where on I-40 in California: the counties with the most fatal crashes
San Bernardino County County had the most fatal crashes on I-40 from 2015 to 2024: 99, with 109 deaths. Counties are listed from 5 fatal crashes.
| County | 2024 | 2015 to 2024 | Deaths | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Bernardino County | 15 | 99 | 109 |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
When fatal crashes happen on I-40 in California
Too few crashes to name a heaviest slot. The grid shows the shares; a share is only given over 20 crashes.
| Midnight to 4 | 4 to 8 am | 8 to noon | Noon to 4 | 4 to 8 pm | 8 to midnight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun | 3.1 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 4.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes |
| Mon | 4.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 3 fatal crashes |
| Tue | 3.1 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 4.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 4.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crashes |
| Wed | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 4.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crashes |
| Thu | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 5.1 percent, 5 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes |
| Fri | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 4.1 percent, 4 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 5.1 percent, 5 fatal crashes |
| Sat | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 3.1 percent, 3 fatal crashes | 1.0 percent, 1 fatal crashes | 2.0 percent, 2 fatal crashes |
By hour
By month
- Jan8.1%
- Feb8.1%
- Mar5.1%
- Apr9.1%
- May3.0%
- Jun12.1%
- Jul8.1%
- Aug10.1%
- Sep10.1%
- Oct8.1%
- Nov11.1%
- Dec7.1%
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Fatal crashes per mile on I-40 in California
6.41 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024, on 154 miles of I-40 in California, against 16.47 for all interstates in California. That ranks 6 of 6 interstates in California and 109 of 171 interstate pages on this site.
Mileage from the FHWA Interstate route log (table 1), the only figure here not counted from FARS. Crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle: FARS records crashes, not traffic.
What fatal crashes on I-40 in California first hit
The first harmful event was a fixed object such as a tree, pole or barrier in 38%; a rollover in 25%, a collision with another vehicle in 24%, a pedestrian in 7.1%.
| First harmful event | Fatal crashes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed object (tree, pole, barrier, ditch) | 38 | 38% |
| Rollover | 25 | 25% |
| Collision with another vehicle | 24 | 24% |
| Pedestrian | 7 | 7.1% |
| Other | 4 | 4.0% |
| Parked vehicle | 1 | 1.0% |
| Cyclist | 0 | 0.0% |
| Not reported | 0 | 0.0% |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
How fatal crashes on I-40 in California compare with the state
A drinking driver was recorded in 14% of fatal crashes in I-40 in California from 2015 to 2024, below the California share of 28%; speeding in 18%, below the California share of 30%; a hit-and-run in 3.0%, below the California share of 11%; 51% of passenger-vehicle occupants killed with belt use known were unbelted, above the California share of 38%. Shares of fatal crashes from 2015 to 2024, against the share across all of California. A share is only given over 20 crashes.
| I-40 | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| On rural stretches | 85% | 30% | above the California share |
| At or near an intersection | 0.0% | 27% | below the California share |
| In the dark, road unlit | 48% | 25% | above the California share |
| A drinking driver | 14% | 28% | below the California share |
| Speeding | 18% | 30% | below the California share |
| Occupants killed unbelted | 51% | 38% | above the California share |
| Hit-and-run | 3.0% | 11% | below the California share |
| A motorcycle involved | 8.1% | 15% | below the California share |
| Pedestrians among the dead | 8.3% | 26% | below the California share |
Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2024 Annual Report File (released April 2026, subject to revision). How we count
Questions about fatal crashes in I-40 in California
- How many fatal crashes have there been on I-40 in California?
- 99 fatal crashes killed 109 people on I-40 in California from 2015 to 2024. In 2024 there were 15 fatal crashes and 15 deaths.
- Where on I-40 in California do the most fatal crashes happen?
- San Bernardino County had the most fatal crashes on I-40 from 2015 to 2024: 99, with 109 deaths.
- How dangerous is I-40 in California per mile?
- 6.41 fatal crashes a year per 100 miles over 2015 to 2024, on 154 miles of road, against 16.47 for all interstates in California. That ranks 6 of 6 interstates in California and 109 of 171 interstate pages on this site. FARS records crashes, not traffic, so this is crashes per mile of road, not per vehicle.
Other roads in California with a page
All fatal crashes in California, with every road ranked.
Where the I-40 numbers come from
Counted from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System, 2024 Annual Report File: every fatal crash whose road NHTSA filed as I-40 in California (filed under 4 spellings, such as "I-40", "I-40 NEEDLES FWY", "I-40 W/B", "I-40 WB"). Ramps, frontage and service roads are left out. A fatal crash is one in which someone died within 30 days. The full method.