As you drive around Bakersfield, you probably pass the aftermath of an auto accident now and then. But chances are that most of your days come and go without witnessing a car crash.
It’s easy to get lulled a false sense of complacency. Sure, you know car crashes happen, but you might think they don’t happen all that often. National studies have consistently found that drivers tend to believe they are safer (and better skilled) than they really are.
As Bakersfield auto accident lawyers, we have a different perspective. Because we spend much of our lives fighting for the financial rights of car crash victims in Southern California, we know all too well just how common crashes are — and how serious they can be.
We want you to understand that too. Why? Not to prompt paranoia, certainly. But merely to remind you that even if you’re very careful on the roads, others might not be, so it always pays to remain vigilant.
Accordingly, today’s article is devoted to the very latest car accident statistics in Bakersfield. We have obtained the official 2017 crash data for Bakersfield, CA by way of multiple Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SITRS) requests, pursuant to the California Public Records Act (CPRA) (Gov. Code, § 6250 et seq.).
2017 is the latest full year on record. As for 2018, we hope to have complete year-end data by early 2019 and to revisit this topic with those new numbers once they come in.
Below, you’ll find the 2017 car accident statistics for Bakersfield broken down three ways:
- By type of collision
- By cause of the accident
- By time of day
Together, these charts and the accompanying analysis can tell you a lot about your personal risk as you drive around town.
Car Accident Statistics in Bakersfield by Type of Collision
In total, during 2017, there were 3,259 car accidents in Bakersfield. Of those, 53 were fatal (with a total of 54 people dead), while another 1,368 caused a significant injury (with a total of 2,117 people injured… 64 of them severely).
In total, nearly half (47.9%) of all the car accidents in Bakersfield involved a painful injury.
The table below breaks these 3,259 accidents down by type of collision.
| Type of Collision | Total Number of Collisions | Number of Fatal Accidents | Number of Accidents with Injuries | Number of People Killed | Number of People Injured | Number of Severe Injuries | Other Visible Injuries | Number of Injuries Causing Pain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two Cars Collide | 2,048 | 18 | 958 | 18 | 1,649 | 29 | 294 | 1,326 |
| Car in Motion Hits Parked Vehicle | 351 | 1 | 58 | 2 | 71 | 1 | 28 | 42 |
| Car Hits Pedestrian | 120 | 23 | 92 | 23 | 101 | 13 | 45 | 43 |
| Car Hits Bicycle | 88 | 2 | 81 | 2 | 81 | 7 | 37 | 37 |
| Car Hits Animal | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Car Hits Fixed Object | 515 | 5 | 121 | 5 | 145 | 8 | 58 | 79 |
| Car Hits Other Object | 51 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| Collision with Motor Vehicle on Other Roadway | 19 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| Non-Collision Accident | 63 | 2 | 40 | 2 | 45 | 6 | 24 | 15 |
| TOTAL | 3,259 | 53 | 1,368 | 54 | 2,117 | 64 | 492 | 1,561 |
Car Accident Statistics in Bakersfield by Cause of Accident
Worldwide, most auto accidents are caused by driver negligence. That fact is true of the car crashes in Bakersfield too, as evidenced by the chart below.
| Primary Cause of Accident | Total Number of Collisions | Number of Fatal Accidents | Number of Accidents with Injuries | Number of People Killed | Number of People Injured | Number of Severe Injuries | Other Visible Injuries | Number of Injuries Causing Pain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speeding | 959 | 5 | 386 | 5 | 589 | 10 | 87 | 492 |
| Improper Turns | 720 | 7 | 174 | 7 | 238 | 5 | 70 | 163 |
| Alcohol / Drugs | 429 | 6 | 154 | 7 | 229 | 14 | 80 | 135 |
| Running Red Lights / Stop Signs | 320 | 4 | 242 | 4 | 432 | 9 | 80 | 343 |
| Vehicle Violating Right-of-Way | 292 | 6 | 207 | 6 | 389 | 9 | 93 | 287 |
| Unsafe Lane Changes | 142 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 48 | 0 | 7 | 41 |
| Pedestrian Violation / Violating Right-of-Way | 96 | 19 | 72 | 19 | 72 | 9 | 37 | 26 |
| Unsafe Starting or Backing | 95 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Wrong Side of Road | 74 | 2 | 49 | 2 | 51 | 3 | 22 | 26 |
| Other Hazardous Violation | 47 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 24 | 2 | 7 | 15 |
| Cause Other than Driver / Victim | 31 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Improper Passing | 19 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Cause / Not Stated | 16 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| Lights, Brakes, or Other Equipment | 12 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Following Too Closely | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Hazardous Parking | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Impeding Traffic | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 3,259 | 53 | 1,368 | 54 | 2,117 | 64 | 492 | 1,561 |
As you can see, some form of driver or pedestrian negligence was listed as the primary contributing factor for 3,200 of the 3,259 auto accidents in Bakersfield. (It must be noted, of course, that most pedestrian accidents are caused by drivers, not pedestrians.)
In other words, simple negligence is to blame more than 98% of the time — even more often if we add in the 12 accidents caused by defective equipment (which may be due to negligence by an automotive manufacturer, designer, retailer, or mechanic).
As an aside, there is one other interesting insight we’d like to highlight here before moving on. In the previous section, we charted 351 accidents in which a moving vehicle hit a parked car. The table above, however, shows that only two Bakersfield accidents were caused by hazardous parking. It is not unreasonable to infer that in the other 349 of these accidents, the driver of the moving vehicle may have been to blame. Notably, two people were killed in parked-car accidents in Bakersfield. We think this observation behooves all of us to drive more carefully the next time we’re in a parking lot or passing by parked cars.
Car Accident Statistics in Bakersfield by Time of Day
While a car crash can happen at any time, certain times of day are associated with a higher risk of collision. Below, we have divided the Bakersfield time-of-day crash data into three charts:
- Morning-hour collisions (A.M.)
- Afternoon & evening-hour collisions (P.M.)
- 24-hour day of week totals (A.M. and P.M. combined)
The most dangerous hours (defined as those having 125 or more accidents throughout the week) are highlighted in red. Those with more than 200 accidents are presented in bold red.
Morning Collisions in Bakersfield During 2017
| Hour of Day (A.M.) | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midnight – 12:59 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 17 | 6 | 21 | 24 | 89 |
| 1:00 – 1:59 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 21 | 22 | 84 |
| 2:00 – 2:59 | 11 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 25 | 24 | 91 |
| 3:00 – 3:59 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 45 |
| 4:00 – 4:59 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 36 |
| 5:00 – 5:59 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 9 | 46 |
| 6:00 – 6:59 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 70 |
| 7:00 – 7:59 | 22 | 27 | 27 | 23 | 19 | 7 | 9 | 134 |
| 8:00 – 8:59 | 17 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 20 | 6 | 13 | 140 |
| 9:00 – 9:59 | 16 | 18 | 12 | 14 | 19 | 12 | 16 | 107 |
| 10:00 – 10:59 | 15 | 26 | 14 | 12 | 17 | 24 | 18 | 126 |
| 11:00 – 11:59 | 20 | 23 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 18 | 14 | 125 |
| MORNING TOTALS: | 143 | 165 | 146 | 155 | 138 | 164 | 182 | 1,093 |
Afternoon & Evening Collisions in Bakersfield During 2017
| Hour of Day (P.M.) | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 – 12:59 | 18 | 22 | 18 | 19 | 38 | 26 | 19 | 160 |
| 1:00 – 1:59 | 31 | 26 | 32 | 26 | 30 | 15 | 20 | 180 |
| 2:00 – 2:59 | 22 | 32 | 33 | 27 | 46 | 33 | 19 | 212 |
| 3:00 – 3:59 | 22 | 32 | 49 | 43 | 45 | 23 | 19 | 233 |
| 4:00 – 4:59 | 44 | 44 | 27 | 53 | 57 | 19 | 18 | 262 |
| 5:00 – 5:59 | 32 | 44 | 46 | 50 | 40 | 38 | 30 | 280 |
| 6:00 – 6:59 | 23 | 20 | 27 | 28 | 32 | 27 | 35 | 192 |
| 7:00 – 7:59 | 24 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 21 | 22 | 20 | 134 |
| 8:00 – 8:59 | 10 | 18 | 12 | 15 | 22 | 26 | 35 | 138 |
| 9:00 – 9:59 | 16 | 19 | 19 | 23 | 37 | 20 | 27 | 161 |
| 10:00 – 10:59 | 7 | 16 | 13 | 12 | 19 | 26 | 18 | 111 |
| 11:00 – 11:59 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 12 | 21 | 26 | 16 | 99 |
| DAYTIME / EVENING TOTALS: | 258 | 297 | 298 | 324 | 408 | 301 | 276 | 2,162 |
Total Bakersfield Crashes Per Day of Week (2017 A.M. and P.M. Combined)
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thurs | Fri | Sat | Sun | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DAY OF WEEK TOTALS: | 402 | 463 | 444 | 479 | 548 | 465 | 458 | 3,259 |
Note: The collision totals in the chart above include four accidents for which the time of day is unknown.
As you can see, the crash risk is consistently high seven days a week in Bakersfield, with a sharp spike in the number of collisions on Fridays.
Injured in a Car Accident in Bakersfield? Call Mickey Fine
Mickey Fine is an experienced Bakersfield auto accident
with substantial experience in representing car crash victims and their families in California compensation claims. He is an attorney who understands that every penny counts.
Mickey Fine is determined to maximize compensation for his clients. Let The Law Offices of Mickey Fine fight to get you the recovery you deserve.
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