Santa Monica, CA Car Accident Statistics

If you were injured in a Santa Monica crash, local data can show how common that type of collision is and where it tends to happen. Santa Monica packs heavy commuter traffic, a freeway, tourist crowds, cyclists, and scooter riders into about eight square miles, and its crash data reflects that mix. Our Santa Monica, CA personal injury lawyer uses local crash data alongside the evidence in each case to show how and why a collision happened. Cohen Injury Law Group compiled these figures from City data reported by local news and from crash rankings published by the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Fatal and Severe Injury Crashes in Santa Monica, 2019–2025

Santa Monica tracks fatal and severe injury crashes as part of its Vision Zero program, adopted in 2016. According to City data reported by the Santa Monica Lookout, these crashes reached a record in 2024 before falling in 2025:

The 2025 total was still the second highest the City has recorded since 2010, when there were 19. Three people died in 2025, all pedestrians, compared with three pedestrians and two bicyclists killed in 2024. Of the 2025 severe injury crashes, 19 involved pedestrians, 5 involved bicyclists, and 3 involved scooter riders.

How Santa Monica Compares to Similar Cities

The California Office of Traffic Safety ranks cities against others of similar size, using crash counts, population, and daily vehicle miles traveled. A rank of 1 is the worst, and OTS notes that its crash rankings are indicators of potential problems rather than final conclusions. Santa Monica’s recent results stand out for people outside a car:

Sources: OTS rankings for 2022 and 2023.

These rankings line up with the injuries we see in pedestrian accident and bicycle accident cases. Riders face similar risks, and our motorcycle accident lawyer in Santa Monica, CA handles crashes on both city streets and the freeway.

Who Is Responsible in Serious Crashes

The City’s data also assigns fault. Motorists were found at fault in 40 of the 52 fatal and severe injury crashes in 2025, about 77 percent, and in 48 of 62 such crashes in 2024. Those figures matter because insurers often try to shift blame to pedestrians and cyclists, which reduces recovery under California’s comparative fault rules.

Where Crashes Cluster

Some corridors carry a disproportionate share of injuries. A City safety study of Santa Monica Boulevard, reported by the Santa Monica Daily Press in June 2025, counted 435 injury crashes over a decade on the 2.4-mile stretch from Ocean Avenue to Centinela Avenue. About 83 percent happened at intersections, and right-of-way violations were the leading cause. Pedestrians made up about 11 percent of crashes on the corridor but were overrepresented in serious injuries.

That pattern is common in intersection crashes across the city. Our guides to the most dangerous roads and highways in Santa Monica, CA and the city’s most dangerous intersections look at specific locations.

What the City Is Doing

Frustrated by results that fell short of the Vision Zero goal, the City Council voted in February 2026 to change course, asking staff for fast, low-cost protections for pedestrians and cyclists and for quick-build safety changes within three months of each fatal or severe crash. City officials also reported that the Police Department had tripled traffic enforcement in recent months, according to the same Lookout report.

How Crash Data Can Help an Injury Claim

Statistics do not prove fault in any single crash, but they can support a claim in specific ways. A record of earlier collisions at the same intersection can help show that a public agency knew about a dangerous condition, one of the bases for liability against a city. Crash histories, signal records, and prior complaints are requested alongside the evidence for your claim, and our car accident lawyer in Santa Monica, CA uses them when the roadway itself played a role.

Talk to a Personal Injury Attorney in Santa Monica, CA About Your Crash

Attorney Wayne R. Cohen has practiced law since 1991, and his commentary on technology in the courtroom has appeared on CNBC. Attorney Nicholas E. Cohen works with him to analyze crash records and other data in each case. Cohen Injury Law Group also represents pedestrians injured in nearby Brentwood.

Consultations are free, and you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation. Contact our team to discuss your case.

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