Kern County, California Car Accident Statistics
194 people died in 173 fatal crashes in Kern County in 2024, according to NHTSA: 21 deaths per 100,000 residents, against 9.8 for California and 11.5 nationally. From 2019 through 2024 the county had 1,181 traffic deaths in 1,069 crashes, and 23% of the people killed were pedestrians.
Traffic deaths in Kern County by year
| Year | Deaths | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 194 | 173 |
| 2023 | 183 | 170 |
| 2022 | 220 | 197 |
| 2021 | 225 | 208 |
| 2020 | 206 | 184 |
| 2019 | 153 | 137 |
Who died
People killed in Kern County crashes, 2019–2024.
Roads with the most fatal crashes
| Road | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| SR-99 | 66 | 79 |
| SR-178 | 58 | 63 |
| SR-58 | 53 | 57 |
| I-5 | 52 | 64 |
| SR-14 | 21 | 29 |
| SR-43 | 16 | 20 |
| Union Ave | 14 | 15 |
| SR-65 | 14 | 16 |
| Panama Ln | 13 | 15 |
| SR-46 | 12 | 15 |
As named in crash reports, 2019–2024. Long highways cross many miles of the county, so they tend to rank high.
Fatal crashes inside city limits
| City | Fatal crashes | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Bakersfield | 315 | 333 |
| California City | 13 | 15 |
| Wasco | 13 | 13 |
| Delano | 12 | 13 |
| Shafter | 10 | 12 |
| Ridgecrest | 9 | 9 |
| Taft | 7 | 9 |
| Tehachapi | 5 | 5 |
| Arvin | 2 | 2 |
| South Taft | 2 | 2 |
When fatal crashes happen
Time of day
Day of week (most: Sunday)
59% of fatal crashes in Kern County happened in the dark, and 47% on roads classed as rural.
Drinking and speeding
What the first impact was with:
After a crash in California
Injury claims have a filing deadline set by state law. See California's car accident statute of limitations, and how shared fault can reduce what you recover.
Hurt in a crash in Kern County?
Compare car accident lawyers in BakersfieldOther California counties
- Los Angeles County
778 deaths in 2024 - San Bernardino County
350 deaths in 2024 - Riverside County
289 deaths in 2024 - San Diego County
303 deaths in 2024 - Orange County
199 deaths in 2024 - Sacramento County
156 deaths in 2024
Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2019–2024, which records every crash on a public road in which someone died within 30 days. Population figures are the Census Bureau's 2024 county estimates. A crash is counted where it happened, not where the people involved lived. “Drinking driver” means police reported a driver had been drinking; “speeding” means police reported at least one driver was speeding or going too fast for conditions. Injury-only crashes aren't in FARS.
Lawbamba is not affiliated with NHTSA, and this page is general information, not legal advice.