Study Ranks Busy Northern California Road as One of the Deadliest in the U.S.

A heavily traveled stretch of Interstate 80 through Northern California has been ranked among the most dangerous highways in the country, according to a new national study.

The report, released by New Jersey-based law firm Camili & Capo PA, analyzed fatal crash data from 2019 to 2023, measuring how many deadly accidents occurred per mile on interstate highways. California’s portion of I-80 — which runs from San Francisco through Sacramento to the Nevada border — recorded 277 fatal crashes during that period. That works out to about 1.39 fatal accidents per mile, placing I-80 No. 8 on the list of the 30 most dangerous U.S. interstates by mile.

Several other California highways also made the list. Interstate 5, which stretches from the Oregon border through Sacramento and all the way to Mexico, ranked No. 29 within California, with 779 fatal crashes over 796 miles. When evaluated across all states it passes through, I-5 ranked No. 6 nationwide, with 1,119 fatal crashes across its full length.

Southern California freeways were also flagged. Interstate 10, running from Santa Monica to the Nevada border, ranked seventh in California with 1.52 fatal crashes per mile, while Interstate 15 ranked 11th, averaging 1.33 fatal crashes per mile.

Nationally, the deadliest interstate stretch identified in the study was Interstate 94 in Illinois, which averaged two fatal crashes per mile.