Where people walking are hit

Of people walking who were hit in daylight, 5% died. In the dark on a road with no street lights, 37% did. The light isn't the only difference: unlit roads are more often outside cities, where roads are faster (38% of these crashes were outside city limits, against 16% of daylight ones).

All reported pedestrian crashes with a map location, 2021–2025, inside city limits and out.

What the person was doing, as the report records it, for crashes outside city limits (where the CHP takes most reports and they have a GPS location). Crossing in a crosswalk at an intersection was the least often deadly; walking in the road or on the shoulder, and crossing away from a crosswalk, the most.

Outside city limits, 71% of people walking were hit within 40 m of a junction. On suburban streets junctions are close together, so this is a rough split; the reports are often placed at the nearest cross street too.

In a bend

3%

In a bend: 220 people hit

On a straight

26%

On a straight: 1,683 people hit

At or near a junction

71%

At or near a junction: 4,662 people hit

Junction: another road meets it within 40 m of where the crash was placed. Bend: tighter than a 100 m radius within 75 m.

3,513 people on foot were hit on freeways. 39% died, against 13% elsewhere, and 74% were hit in the dark (44% elsewhere).

Freeway: CCRS's own freeway flag on the report.

9,714 people walking (27% of all) were hit by a driver who was turning, and 1,292 by one who was reversing. These are less often deadly (2% and 3%, against 16% of all), since turning and reversing cars are slow, but they are common at crosswalks and driveways.

Stretches of road outside city limits with the most reported pedestrian crashes, mostly busy suburban roads in unincorporated areas. Busy roads lead because more people use them: a count, not a ranking of risk.

1. 1Watt Avenue near Sacramento86 people hit (92% at junctions), 17 fatal · on the map
2. 2Whittier Boulevard near Commerce48 people hit (96% at junctions), 2 fatal · on the map
3. 3Florin Road near Sacramento42 people hit (88% at junctions), 10 fatal · on the map
4. 4Madison Avenue near Citrus Heights40 people hit (93% at junctions), 5 fatal · on the map
5. 5Marconi Avenue near Sacramento33 people hit (100% at junctions), 11 fatal · on the map
6. 6South Vermont Avenue near Los Angeles31 people hit (100% at junctions), 10 fatal · on the map
7. 7Stockton Boulevard near Sacramento31 people hit (100% at junctions), 4 fatal · on the map
8. 8Main Street (SR-184) near Bakersfield29 people hit (62% at junctions), 8 fatal · on the map
9. 9East Olympic Boulevard near Commerce29 people hit (86% at junctions), 2 fatal · on the map
10. 10North Chester Avenue near Bakersfield29 people hit (90% at junctions), 5 fatal · on the map
11. 11South Union Avenue near Bakersfield28 people hit (93% at junctions), 9 fatal · on the map
12. 12East Cesar E Chavez Avenue near Monterey Park26 people hit (96% at junctions), 1 fatal · on the map
13. 13West Imperial Highway near Hawthorne25 people hit (96% at junctions), 0 fatal · on the map
14. 14East Niles Street near Bakersfield24 people hit (88% at junctions), 6 fatal · on the map
15. 15Compton Avenue near Huntington Park24 people hit (96% at junctions), 4 fatal · on the map

Are pedestrians more likely to die when hit at night?

In the records, yes: 37% of people walking who were hit in the dark on roads with no street lights died, against 5% in daylight (2021–2025). Unlit roads are also more often outside cities, on faster roads.

Where are pedestrians hit outside cities?

Outside city limits, 71% were hit within 40 m of a junction and 26% away from one. Walking in the road or on the shoulder was the most common situation (2,334 people).

How many pedestrians are hit on freeways?

3,513 people on foot were hit on California freeways from 2021–2025, and 39% of them died, against 13% on other roads.

Where does this data come from?

Police crash reports in the California Crash Reporting System (CCRS) on data.ca.gov, 2021–2025, with a pedestrian involved and a map location. About half of reports have no map location, most of them from city police, so the junction and mid-block split uses crashes outside city limits, placed on OpenStreetMap roads.