Highway Accidents in Sacramento

Sacramento is known for having some of the most dangerous roads in the state of California. The city’s highways, in particular, are hotspots for traffic accidents. According to state crash data, there were 636 highway car accidents in Sacramento, CA, in 2023. That’s an average of 1.74 collisions a day.

Highway accidents in Sacramento tend to have serious consequences. In 2023, highway crashes caused at least 828 injuries and 14 deaths.

Which Sacramento Highways Are the Most Dangerous?

Highways and interstates are built for speed and designed to accommodate a lot of vehicles. However, highways can become more dangerous in urban cities like Sacramento, where vehicles can enter and exit the flow of traffic more frequently.

While every highway in Sacramento has collisions, they’re most commonly seen on:

• I-80 (41 collisions)
• US 99 (145 collisions)
• US 50 (263 collisions)
• I-5 (142 collisions).

Many times, highway accidents occur on off-ramps, on-ramps, or where two highways merge.

What Causes Most Highway Car Accidents?

Highway accidents usually happen because a driver is negligent or aggressive at the wheel.

According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, some of the most commonly cited causes for highway collisions include:

• Speeding (331 collisions, representing 52 percent of all highway accidents)
• Unsafe turns (125 collisions, representing 12 percent of the city’s highway collisions)
• Unsafe lane changes (84 accidents, accounting for 13 percent of all collisions)
• Drunk driving (69 crashes, accounting for nearly 11 percent of Sacramento’s highway accidents)

Other behaviors - like distracted driving, following too closely, braking errors, and drowsy driving - also contribute to car accidents on Sacramento’s highways.

What’s the Most Common Type of Highway Accident in Sacramento?

Rear-end collisions account for 56 percent of all highway accidents in Sacramento, California. In 2023, 357 rear-end crashes were reported on highways and interstates across the city.

This isn’t surprising, especially given Sacramento’s notorious congestion and stop-and-go traffic. When the flow of traffic changes - either coming to a standstill or crawling along at a slow speed - drivers who are speeding, distracted, drunk, or following the vehicle in front of them too closely will often not have enough time to react and stop their vehicle. The result: they crash into the back of the vehicle in front of them.

Other commonly reported types of highway accidents include sideswipes (when drivers fail to change lanes safely or yield the right of way when merging), rollovers (when a driver hits an object on the road or makes a sharp turn at high speeds), and single-vehicle collisions (where a vehicle strikes a fixed object, including road barriers).

Get Compensation After a Highway Accident in Sacramento

If you’ve been injured in a highway accident in Sacramento, California, because someone else was careless, call Singleton Schreiber. Our Sacramento, CA car accident lawyers can help you explore your legal rights, take action, and fight for the financial accountability you need and deserve.

A successful car accident lawsuit can help you recover compensation for your medical bills, loss of income, and suffering.

You’ll only have two years from the date of your highway crash to seek damages, so don’t hesitate to call our award-winning legal team in Sacramento for help today.