Truck accident statistics for Kern County, California (2020-2024)

Truck accident deaths in Kern County by year

Truck accident deaths rose from 32 in 2020 to 35 in 2021 and 37 in 2022. The count then fell to 23 in 2023 before rising to 27 in 2024. The highest count was 37 in 2022, and the lowest was 23 in 2023. The 2024 count was 5 deaths lower than the 2020 count.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The corresponding shares of all traffic deaths were 15.5% in 2020, 15.6% in 2021, 16.8% in 2022, 12.6% in 2023 and 13.9% in 2024. All traffic deaths numbered 206, 225, 220, 183 and 194 in those respective years. The annual average for truck accident deaths during the period was 30.8.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

Deaths within 30 days in crashes on public roads. 2024 figures come from the FARS Annual Report File and can be revised.

Who died in Kern County truck accidents

People in the large truck accounted for 15 deaths, or 9.7%, while People in other vehicles accounted for 126 deaths, or 81.8%. People in other vehicles were the largest category of truck accident deaths. The row "Pedestrians, bicyclists and other people outside vehicles" recorded 13 deaths, or 8.4%.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

That quoted label represents the FARS nonoccupant grouping, including pedestrians, pedalcyclists and other or unknown nonoccupants. It is not a literal test of whether someone was outside a vehicle: the other category can include occupants of parked motor vehicles.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

The trucks involved

The vehicle count for fatal truck accidents in Kern County was 153 large trucks during 2020 through 2024. Truck-tractors, meaning semi or tractor-trailer units, numbered 110 and represented 71.9% of those trucks. The Single-unit and other large trucks category recorded 43 vehicles. There were 2 large trucks recorded as jackknifed.^{[1][2][3][4][5][8][7]}

These figures count vehicles, rather than crashes or deaths. A fatal crash can involve multiple large trucks, so the truck count is a distinct measure from the 138 fatal crashes and 154 deaths recorded for the period.^{[1][2][3][4][5][8][7]}

Counts are trucks, not crashes. One crash can involve more than one large truck.

How the fatal truck crashes happened

Manner of collision describes the first harmful event. Deaths were Angle (side impact), 52; Head-on, 25; Rear-end, 32; Sideswipe, 18; Other, 3; and Not reported, 1. "Not a collision with another moving vehicle" recorded 23 deaths. This means no collision with a motor vehicle in transport, including events involving pedestrians, cyclists, parked vehicles, fixed objects or rollovers. Vehicles in transport can be stopped in traffic.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Separately, truck accident deaths by crash configuration were 19 in single-vehicle crashes (12.3%), 106 in two-vehicle crashes (68.8%) and 29 in crashes involving three or more vehicles (18.8%). Configuration counts vehicles involved; it is separate from manner of collision.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Interstates, time of day and setting

Interstate-coded truck accident deaths numbered 16, or 10.4%. The listed route-coded counts were 15 for I-5 and 1 for I-95. These figures use ROUTE=1 with a parseable interstate route number in TWAY_ID. The listed routes are the packet's coded subset, not a full road network.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Daytime, from 6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m., accounted for 85 deaths (55.2%); nighttime, from 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m., accounted for 69 (44.8%). Urban locations recorded 51 deaths (33.1%), and rural locations recorded 103 (66.9%). Work-zone records counted 12 deaths, rather than trucks or crashes.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Truck accident death rate compared with California and the United States

Kern County's truck accident death rate was 3.4 average annual deaths per 100,000 residents for 2020 through 2024. That rate was higher than California's 1.1 and the national rate of 1.6. Rates for the listed neighboring counties were 0.7 in Los Angeles County, 2.1 in San Bernardino County, 2.2 in Tulare County and 4.4 in Kings County.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Among the listed neighboring counties, Kings County had the highest rate and Los Angeles County the lowest. Kern County's rate was lower than Kings County's and higher than those of the other listed neighbors. These rates use deaths at crash locations and annual Census population estimates; they do not adjust for miles driven or visitors.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Rates divide deaths by the sum of annual Census population estimates, so they show deaths per 100,000 residents per year. They do not adjust for miles driven or for visitors.

About these figures

FARS is a census of fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes on trafficways customarily open to the public, with a death within 30 days. Nonfatal crashes and injuries are excluded. Counts follow crash location, not where those killed lived. When reading with "truck accident lawyer" in mind, keep that location grouping in view.^[9][6][7][8]

The 2020 through 2023 figures use FARS Final Files; 2024 uses the revisable Annual Report File. Rates divide 2020 through 2024 deaths by the sum of annual Census Bureau population estimates from Vintage 2025 and multiply by 100,000. The separate July 1, 2024 estimate of 924,648 is not the rate denominator. Rates do not adjust for miles driven or visitors.^[9][6][7][8]

See also

• Truck accident statistics for Kings County, California (2020-2024)
• Truck accident statistics for Los Angeles County, California (2020-2024)
• Truck accident statistics for San Bernardino County, California (2020-2024)

On related publications

• Car accident statistics for Kern County, California (2020-2024) (caraccidentlawyers.wiki)