California City, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in California City: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in California City and Kern County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Kern County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
9.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 5.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Kern County compares with California
Kern County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Kern County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Kern County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 68.6 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 2.1× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 1.6× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.47 | 0.44 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.0% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 41% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.9% | 0.9% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 20.6% | 23.5% | 23.7% | 12% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 5.1% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 21% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 39.3% | 40.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 34.6% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Kern County has lower values than California for garbage-truck share, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and after dark.
What stands out in Kern County: December garbage-truck crashes peak in December (17% of the year's total).
Overview
Kern County has recorded 7,248 truck crashes since 2015, with 3,414 people injured and 403 killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about 2 truck crashes a day.
California City had 18 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Kern County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is August with 9.4% of truck crashes; the quietest is February at 7.1%.
November through March accounts for 39.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.2% in California.
More truck crashes happen at 3–4 pm than at any other hour (6.5%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 0.9% of truck crashes, compared with 0.9% in California.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of California City happened on SR-58 (3) and Neuralia Rd (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 69 crashes, 1.0% of the total, against 1.6% across California.
Their busiest month is December, with 17% of garbage-truck crashes.
They recorded 9.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 5.7 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for California City fleets
- Build extra time into August routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at December schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
Crash counts come from the FMCSA crash file (police-reported crashes involving trucks over 10,000 lb); fatal-crash locations come from NHTSA FARS. Text on this page states only what these numbers show.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Kern County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-58 | 3 |
| Neuralia Rd | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Kern County) |
|---|---|
| Sr-99 N/B | 31 |
| Sr-58 W/B | 23 |
| I-5 | 22 |
| Sr-58 E/B | 21 |
| SR-58 | 20 |
| Sr-99 S/B | 17 |
| SR-99 | 17 |
| SR-223 | 11 |
California City at a glance
| Population | 13,174 |
| Land area | 203.6 sq mi |
| Density | 65 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 93505) | $59,827 |
| Median home value (ZIP 93505) | $274,797 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Kern County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5 | — | 23.6 |
| 2000s | 398 | +7854% | 20.5 |
| 2010s | 543 | +37% | 21.7 |
| 2020s | 659 | +21% | 28.2 |
In the 1990s about 5 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 659. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 25.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 28.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about California City
How many truck accidents are there in California City?
Kern County has had 7,248 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 3,414 people and killing 403.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in California City?
August has the most truck crashes in Kern County, 9.4% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in California City?
Since 2015, Kern County has reported 69 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.0% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in California City compare with California?
Per 100,000 residents, Kern County has 68.6 truck crashes a year; California has 33.2.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in California City?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.