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

Truck accident deaths in Riverside County by year

Truck accident deaths rose from 25 in 2020 to 36 in 2021, fell to 34 in 2022, rose to 35 in 2023 and fell to 27 in 2024. The highest count was 36 in 2021; the lowest was 25 in 2020. The 2024 count was 2 deaths higher than the 2020 count.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}

The truck accident share of all traffic deaths followed the same sequence of increases and decreases: 8.0%, 11.0%, 9.5%, 10.4% and 9.3%. All traffic deaths numbered 311 in 2020, 326 in 2021, 357 in 2022, 335 in 2023 and 289 in 2024. Their highest count occurred in 2022, while their lowest occurred in 2024.^{[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 Riverside County truck accidents

People in the large truck accounted for 11 deaths, or 7.0%, while People in other vehicles accounted for 117 deaths, or 74.5%. People in other vehicles were the majority of truck accident deaths during 2020 through 2024.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

The row "Pedestrians, bicyclists and other people outside vehicles" records 29 deaths, or 18.5%. This is the FARS nonoccupant grouping, including pedestrians, pedalcyclists and other or unknown nonoccupants. Despite the label, its other category can include occupants of parked motor vehicles. The grouping is not a literal test of whether someone was outside a vehicle.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

The trucks involved

Fatal truck accident records for 2020 through 2024 include 160 large trucks. Truck-tractors, described as semi or tractor-trailer units, numbered 99 and represented 61.9% of those trucks. Single-unit and other large trucks numbered 61. The count of large trucks recorded as jackknifed was 2.^{[1][2][3][4][5][8][7]}

These figures describe vehicles involved in fatal crashes. They are not counts of crashes or deaths, and a crash can involve multiple large trucks. The 160 large trucks therefore belong to a different measure from the county's 144 fatal truck crashes and 157 deaths.^{[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 rear-end, 50; angle (side impact), 34; sideswipe, 13; head-on, 9; other, 6; and not reported, 1. "Not a collision with another moving vehicle" recorded 44 deaths. It means no collision with a motor vehicle in transport, with examples including a pedestrian, cyclist, parked vehicle, fixed object or rollover. Vehicles in transport can be stopped in traffic.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Separate truck accident configuration counts were single-vehicle, 30 deaths (19.1%); two-vehicle, 87 (55.4%); and three or more vehicles, 40 (25.5%). These shares group deaths by vehicle count rather than manner of collision.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Interstates, time of day and setting

Interstate truck accident deaths numbered 56, or 35.7%. The listed route-coded counts were I-10, 31 deaths; I-215, 15; and I-15, 10. These figures require the interstate route classification and a readable I-route number. The listed routes are a coded subset, not a full road network.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Daytime accounted for 75 deaths (47.8%), while nighttime accounted for 82 (52.2%). Urban locations recorded 107 deaths (68.2%), and rural locations recorded 50 (31.8%). Work-zone records counted 14 deaths. Each of these measures describes deaths in truck accidents during 2020 through 2024, rather than the number of trucks or crashes.^{[1][2][3][4][5][7]}

Truck accident death rate compared with California and the United States

Riverside County's truck accident rate was 1.3 average annual deaths per 100,000 residents for 2020 through 2024. California's rate was 1.1, and the national rate was 1.6. The county rate was higher than the state rate and lower than the national rate.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Among the listed neighboring counties, rates were 2.1 in San Bernardino County, 0.6 in San Diego County, 0.3 in Orange County and 3.6 in Imperial County. Imperial County had the highest rate among the listed neighboring counties, and Orange County had the lowest. These rates use deaths divided by summed annual Census population estimates, multiplied by 100,000. 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. It excludes nonfatal crashes and injuries. Counts use the crash county, not the deceased person's residence. Readers searching for a truck accident lawyer should keep that location grouping in mind when reading these counts.^[9][6][7][8]

The 2020 through 2023 figures use FARS Final Files; 2024 uses the revisable Annual Report File. Rates divide deaths by summed annual Census Bureau population estimates from Vintage 2025 and multiply by 100,000. The separate July 1, 2024 population estimate is not the denominator. Rates express average annual deaths per 100,000 residents without adjustment for miles driven or visitors.^[9][6][7][8]

See also

• Truck accident statistics for La Paz County, Arizona (2020-2024)
• Truck accident statistics for Imperial County, California (2020-2024)
• Truck accident statistics for Orange County, California (2020-2024)

On related publications

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