Historical data · NHTSA FARS · 2020–2024
I-5 Accident History
Quick answer: 825 fatal crashes killed 937 people on I-5 from 2020 to 2024. Interstate 5 (San Diego – Seattle) — recorded crashes only, not a measure of risk.
825
Fatal crashes
2020–2024
937
Deaths
within 30 days
227
Pedestrians and cyclists killed
on or beside the interstate
91
Motorcyclists killed
5 years
Covered road section
Where the recorded fatal crashes were
FARS ROUTE = 1 (Interstate) and TWAY_ID = I-5; crashes where the interstate is only the second trafficway are not included. map points are every fatal crash with coordinates; hexagons (Uber H3, about 5 km²) hold every recorded fatal crash with coordinates.
I-5 route (simplified) Fatal crashHexagon shade = recorded count, not risk
Annual counts
I-5 by year
| Year | Fatal crashes | Deaths | Pedestrians killed | Cyclists killed | Motorcyclists killed | Vehicle occupants killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 170 | 190 | 50 | 4 | 20 | 114 |
| 2023 | 135 | 168 | 32 | 1 | 14 | 111 |
| 2022 | 179 | 199 | 51 | 0 | 20 | 126 |
| 2021 | 183 | 210 | 47 | 1 | 19 | 141 |
| 2020 | 158 | 170 | 41 | 0 | 18 | 110 |
| Total | 825 | 937 | 221 | 6 | 91 | 602 |
Period comparison
2020–2021 compared with 2023–2024
Yearly averages of recorded counts. A change can come from traffic volumes, roadworks or recording changes as well as safety — the data cannot separate them.
| Measure | Average per year 2020–2021 | Average per year 2023–2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes | 170.5 | 152.5 | -10.6% |
| Deaths | 190.0 | 179.0 | -5.8% |
| Pedestrians killed | 44.0 | 41.0 | -6.8% |
| Motorcyclists killed | 18.5 | 17.0 | -8.1% |
Deaths by road user
Chart data as a table
| Road user | Deaths |
|---|---|
| Pedestrians | 221 |
| Cyclists | 6 |
| Motorcyclists | 91 |
| Vehicle occupants | 602 |
Month of year
Chart data as a table
| Month | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| January | 51 |
| February | 66 |
| March | 79 |
| April | 58 |
| May | 59 |
| June | 78 |
| July | 69 |
| August | 83 |
| September | 74 |
| October | 81 |
| November | 67 |
| December | 60 |
Hour of day
Chart data as a table
| Hour | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| 0:00 | 57 |
| 1:00 | 51 |
| 2:00 | 63 |
| 3:00 | 58 |
| 4:00 | 42 |
| 5:00 | 42 |
| 6:00 | 27 |
| 7:00 | 18 |
| 8:00 | 14 |
| 9:00 | 18 |
| 10:00 | 19 |
| 11:00 | 11 |
| 12:00 | 21 |
| 13:00 | 20 |
| 14:00 | 26 |
| 15:00 | 21 |
| 16:00 | 29 |
| 17:00 | 27 |
| 18:00 | 27 |
| 19:00 | 33 |
| 20:00 | 44 |
| 21:00 | 40 |
| 22:00 | 44 |
| 23:00 | 57 |
Day of week
Chart data as a table
| Day | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Monday | 100 |
| Tuesday | 111 |
| Wednesday | 96 |
| Thursday | 89 |
| Friday | 116 |
| Saturday | 157 |
| Sunday | 156 |
States
Where along the I-5 fatal crashes were recorded
| State | Fatal crashes 2020–2024 |
|---|---|
| California | 538 |
| Washington | 176 |
| Oregon | 110 |
| Florida | 1 |
FARS manner of collision and light conditions
How the fatal crashes happened
| Manner of collision | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| The First Harmful Event was Not a Collision with a Motor Vehicle in Transport | 545 |
| Front-to-Rear | 147 |
| Front-to-Front | 57 |
| Sideswipe - Same Direction | 39 |
| Angle | 26 |
| Sideswipe - Opposite Direction | 4 |
| Other | 4 |
| Not Reported | 1 |
| Light condition | Fatal crashes |
|---|---|
| Dark - Not Lighted | 306 |
| Daylight | 246 |
| Dark - Lighted | 232 |
| Dawn | 17 |
| Dusk | 15 |
| Dark - Unknown Lighting | 6 |
Source and limitations
About this data
- Source: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 2020–2024 annual files — Public domain (US government work). Prepared 2026-09-13.
- Matching: FARS ROUTE = 1 (Interstate) and TWAY_ID = I-5; crashes where the interstate is only the second trafficway are not included.
- FARS records crashes on public roads in which at least one person died within 30 days — non-fatal crashes are not included.
- The latest year can be revised when NHTSA publishes its final file.
- Counts are not a risk measure: busy interstates carry far more traffic than quiet ones.
- The route line on the map is a simplified sketch of the corridor; crashes are placed at the coordinates the source recorded.
- Download (CSV): yearly counts · counts by state · every mapped fatal crash — more datasets on the download data page.
Live incidents and today's reports: I-5 live page · compare accident trends · all roads · methodology
Questions
I-5 accident history — FAQ
Where does the I-5 accident history come from?
From NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the US census of crashes in which someone died within 30 days. A crash is counted for I-5 when FARS records Interstate as its route and I-5 as its trafficway. Non-fatal crashes are not in FARS.
Is the I-5 getting more dangerous?
These are counts, not rates. The data does not include how much traffic used the road each year, so a rise or fall can reflect traffic growth, roadworks, reporting changes or real change. The yearly table above shows the recorded numbers without drawing that conclusion for you.
Why might a crash near the I-5 be missing?
FARS ROUTE = 1 (Interstate) and TWAY_ID = I-5; crashes where the interstate is only the second trafficway are not included. Crashes on slip roads or local roads next to it can be recorded under another road.
Which year had the most recorded fatal crashes on I-5?
2021, with 183 recorded fatal crashes. The fewest were in 2023 (135). These are counts for 2020–2024, not rates, so a busier year on the road can record more without the road being less safe.
When do most recorded fatal crashes on I-5 happen?
The busiest hour in the records is 2:00–2:59 (7.8% of fatal crashes with a recorded time), the busiest day is Saturday and the busiest month is August. The data holds no traffic volumes, so these peaks show when crashes were recorded, not when driving there is riskiest.
Which state records the most fatal crashes on I-5?
California, with 538 recorded fatal crashes (65.2% of the total). Longer sections of road inside one state naturally record more, so this is not a ranking of danger.
Can I download the I-5 accident data?
Yes. The yearly counts, the counts by state and the mapped crash points can each be downloaded as CSV from the Source and limitations section of this page, with the source and licence written into the file.
Is this live?
No — this is historical data (2020–2024) published once a year. Live incidents and today's reports for the I-5 are on the road's live page.