Motorcycle crash statistics and hotspots in Bakersfield, CA
- motorcycle crashes, 2021–2026
- 483
- motorcycle crashes, 2021–2026
- serious or fatal
- 110
- serious or fatal
- fatal
- 24
- fatal
- street with the most
- SR-99
- street with the most
Where they cluster
All 10 spots, explainedIs Bakersfield safe to ride a motorcycle?
This page covers traffic crashes, not crime. We don't rate cities as safe or unsafe: crash counts can't say how risky a street is, and busy streets have more crashes partly because more people use them. What the records show: 483 motorcycle crashes were reported in Bakersfield from 2021–2026, 110 of them serious or fatal (24 fatal). The most were at Rosedale Hwy & Buck Owens Blvd (10). 28% involved no other vehicle, usually running wide or losing grip. 20% involved a car turning left across the rider.
Where to look next
How motorcyclists crash in Bakersfield
- 28% involved no other vehicle, usually running wide or losing grip.
- 20% involved a car turning left across the rider.
- 33% happened after dark.
- 11% were hit-and-run.
What the reports show about motorcycle crashes in Bakersfield
- 33% (California: 25%) of crashes happened after dark.
- 81% (California: 80%) were on roads posted 40 mph or faster.
- 23% (California: 28%) left someone seriously hurt or killed.
- The busiest hour was 5 p.m. (California: 5 p.m.).
- 1% (California: 2%) were on a wet road, as the report records it.
- The reports name something about the road itself in 20 crashes: a construction or repair zone (16) and loose material on the road (4).
Set against all motorcycle crashes in California, 2021–2026. Without traffic counts these can't say how risky a street is.
Where motorcycle crashes cluster
Spots with 3 or more reported crashes within about 250 m, worst first.
- 0110 crashes · 3 serious or fatal · 1 fatal
Rosedale Hwy & Buck Owens Blvd
Falls and fixed objects
5 of 10 crashes were a fall or hitting an object, with no other vehicle involved. 40% happened after dark. Traffic is posted at about 45 mph.
- Enter slower than feels necessary and watch for gravel, sand and diesel. Look through the bend.
- Wear bright or reflective gear and use your high beam where you can.
- Traffic is fast here: at this speed you cross a junction in about a second, so scan early.
- 028 crashes · 2 serious or fatal · 1 fatal
Wible Rd & Brundage Ln
Falls and fixed objects
3 of 8 crashes were a fall or hitting an object, with no other vehicle involved. Traffic is posted at about 45 mph.
- Enter slower than feels necessary and watch for gravel, sand and diesel. Look through the bend.
- Traffic is fast here: at this speed you cross a junction in about a second, so scan early.
- 035 crashes · 3 serious or fatal · 1 fatal
Union Ave & Bernard St
Side-impact crashes at the junction
4 of 5 crashes were broadside: a vehicle hit at an angle, usually a driver pulling out of a side street or driveway, turning across, or running the signal. 60% happened after dark. Traffic is posted at about 40 mph.
- Cover your brakes through the junction and watch the front wheels of cars waiting to pull out or turn left. Drivers misjudge how fast a motorcycle is coming.
- Wear bright or reflective gear and use your high beam where you can.
- Traffic is fast here: at this speed you cross a junction in about a second, so scan early.
- 045 crashes · 2 serious or fatal · 1 fatal
Hageman Rd & Coffee Rd
Side-impact crashes at the junction
Police reports: in 3 of 5, a driver ran a red light. 2 of 5 crashes were broadside: a vehicle hit at an angle, usually a driver pulling out of a side street or driveway, turning across, or running the signal. 60% happened after dark. Traffic is posted at about 55 mph.
- Cover your brakes through the junction and watch the front wheels of cars waiting to pull out or turn left. Drivers misjudge how fast a motorcycle is coming.
- Wear bright or reflective gear and use your high beam where you can.
- Traffic is fast here: at this speed you cross a junction in about a second, so scan early.
- 054 crashes · 3 serious or fatal
Panorama Dr Acc Rd & Union Ave
Falls and fixed objects
2 of 4 crashes were a fall or hitting an object, with no other vehicle involved. Traffic is posted at about 45 mph.
- Enter slower than feels necessary and watch for gravel, sand and diesel. Look through the bend.
- Traffic is fast here: at this speed you cross a junction in about a second, so scan early.
- 063 crashes · 2 serious or fatal · 1 fatal
Old River Rd & White Ln
A mix of crash types
Traffic is posted at about 55 mph.
- No single crash pattern stands out here. Ride within your sight distance and keep extra space.
- Traffic is fast here: at this speed you cross a junction in about a second, so scan early.
- 075 crashes · 2 serious or fatal
SR-99 & Ming Ave
Side-impact crashes at the junction
2 of 5 crashes were broadside: a vehicle hit at an angle, usually a driver pulling out of a side street or driveway, turning across, or running the signal. Traffic is posted at about 45 mph.
- Cover your brakes through the junction and watch the front wheels of cars waiting to pull out or turn left. Drivers misjudge how fast a motorcycle is coming.
- Traffic is fast here: at this speed you cross a junction in about a second, so scan early.
- 084 crashes · 1 serious or fatal · 1 fatal
Rosedale Hwy & Coffee Rd
Head-on crashes
Police reports: in 2 of 4, a driver ran a red light. 2 of 4 crashes were head-on, often riding against traffic or a driver cutting across the centre line on a turn. Traffic is posted at about 50 mph.
- Keep a lane position that gives you room on bends, and watch for oncoming cars cutting corners or turning left.
- Traffic is fast here: at this speed you cross a junction in about a second, so scan early.
- 096 crashes · 1 serious or fatal
Stine Rd & Ming Ave
Side-impact crashes at the junction
5 of 6 crashes were broadside: a vehicle hit at an angle, usually a driver pulling out of a side street or driveway, turning across, or running the signal. Traffic is posted at about 45 mph.
- Cover your brakes through the junction and watch the front wheels of cars waiting to pull out or turn left. Drivers misjudge how fast a motorcycle is coming.
- Traffic is fast here: at this speed you cross a junction in about a second, so scan early.
- 106 crashes · 1 serious or fatal
Brundage Ln & Liggett St
Side-impact crashes at the junction
4 of 6 crashes were broadside: a vehicle hit at an angle, usually a driver pulling out of a side street or driveway, turning across, or running the signal. Traffic is posted at about 40 mph. 33% were hit-and-run.
- Cover your brakes through the junction and watch the front wheels of cars waiting to pull out or turn left. Drivers misjudge how fast a motorcycle is coming.
- Traffic is fast here: at this speed you cross a junction in about a second, so scan early.
Streets with the most motorcycle crashes in Bakersfield
| Street | Crashes | Serious/fatal |
|---|---|---|
| SR-99 | 34 | 7 |
| White Ln | 21 | 6 |
| Chester Ave | 20 | 6 |
| Panama Ln | 20 | 3 |
| Ming Ave | 17 | 4 |
| Union Ave | 16 | 5 |
| Rosedale Hwy | 16 | 2 |
| California Ave | 12 | 1 |
| Brundage Ln | 11 | 3 |
| Wible Rd | 11 | 2 |
Reported motorcycle crashes, 2021–2026, counted by the street each police report names first, so a crash at a corner counts toward one of its two streets. Long, busy streets collect more crashes partly because more people use them.
What the police reports say drivers did in Bakersfield
| A driver… | Crashes | |
|---|---|---|
| didn't yield while turning left | 33 | |
| turned or changed lanes when it wasn't clear | 28 | |
| ran a red light | 24 | |
| drove too fast for conditions | 23 | |
| drifted out of the lane or onto the wrong side | 20 | |
| didn't yield pulling out of a driveway or alley | 13 | |
| ran a stop sign or didn't yield after stopping | 12 | |
| drove under the influence | 10 |
The other vehicle, where the report names one: 189 cars, 50 SUVs, 49 pickup trucks, 7 minivans, 3 buses and 1 truck or semi. In 15 crashes the report says the other driver had been drinking or was on drugs.
Reported motorcycle crashes, 2021–2026. The officer names one party and one Vehicle Code section as the main cause of each crash; these are the crashes where that party was a driver. It is the officer's reading at the scene, not a court's finding, and many reports name the person on foot or on a bike instead, which we don't list.
Motorcycle crashes in Bakersfield by year
| Year | Crashes | Serious/fatal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 85 | 21 | |
| 2022 | 73 | 15 | |
| 2023 | 90 | 24 | |
| 2024 | 99 | 21 | |
| 2025 | 74 | 16 | |
| 2026to Oct 19 | 62 | 13 |
2026 runs to Oct 19, the newest report in the data, and police reports keep arriving for months, so it isn't a full year.
Common questions about Bakersfield
- Where do the most motorcycle crashes happen in Bakersfield?
- The worst spot is Rosedale Hwy & Buck Owens Blvd, with 10 reported motorcycle crashes from 2021–2026, 3 of them serious or fatal. Next are Wible Rd & Brundage Ln (8) and Union Ave & Bernard St (5).
- How many motorcyclists were killed in Bakersfield?
- 24 crashes killed someone in 483 reported motorcycle crashes in Bakersfield from 2021–2026, and 110 left someone seriously hurt or killed.
- How do motorcyclists usually crash in Bakersfield?
- 28% involved no other vehicle, usually running wide or losing grip. 20% involved a car turning left across the rider. 33% happened after dark. 11% were hit-and-run.
- When and where do motorcycle crashes happen in Bakersfield, compared with California?
- Of 483 reported motorcycle crashes in Bakersfield from 2021–2026: 33% (California: 25%) of crashes happened after dark. 81% (California: 80%) were on roads posted 40 mph or faster. 23% (California: 28%) left someone seriously hurt or killed. The busiest hour was 5 p.m. (California: 5 p.m.). 1% (California: 2%) were on a wet road, as the report records it. The reports name something about the road itself in 20 crashes: a construction or repair zone (16) and loose material on the road (4).
- Which streets in Bakersfield have the most motorcycle crashes?
- By the street each police report names first, 2021–2026: SR-99 (34), White Ln (21), Chester Ave (20), Panama Ln (20), Ming Ave (17). Long, busy streets collect more crashes partly because more people use them.
- How many motorcycle crashes happen in Bakersfield each year?
- Reported motorcycle crashes with map locations: 2021: 85, 2022: 73, 2023: 90, 2024: 99, 2025: 74, 2026 (through Oct 19): 62. The latest year can rise as late reports come in.
- Where does this data come from?
- Police crash reports in the California Crash Reporting System (CCRS), published by the state on data.ca.gov. A report with no coordinates is placed at the intersection its street names give; reports with neither are not counted, so the real totals are higher.
Nearby cities
Source: California Crash Reporting System (CCRS), 2021–2026. A report with no coordinates is placed at the intersection its street names give; reports with neither are not counted, so these numbers are lower than the real total. Freeway crashes are included: many motorcycle crashes in cities happen on them. Busy streets show more crashes partly because more people use them. Data last rebuilt 2026-10-22. How the data works.