Traffic deaths in Los Angeles exceed murder total for second consecutive year

After three consecutive annual increases, the number of traffic deaths in the city of Los Angeles declined in 2024. The year ended with 302 fatalities, down 12.5% from the previous year. 

While the downturn in traffic fatalities is welcomed, it comes with an asterisk: The roads remain far deadlier than in the pre-pandemic era. In the 2010s, there were never more than 261 vehicle-related deaths in a single year in the city, according to data from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Traffic Division.

This also marks the second year in a row that the number of people killed in collisions exceeded the number of murder victims in the city (that also fell by a double-digit percentage in 2024). Through Dec. 28, there had been 268 homicides. A full-year total has not been publicly released.

The decline in Los Angeles vehicle-related deaths mirrors a national trend. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in September reported that there were 18,720 traffic fatalities in the United States in the first half of 2024. That was down 3.2% from the same period the previous year.  

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Traffic fatalities in Los Angeles and across the United States rose sharply during the first part of the pandemic. Although fewer cars were on the road, the increase was widely attributed to vehicles traveling at greater speeds, resulting in more severity when a collision occurred. 

NHTSA found that in 2021 there were 43,230 traffic deaths in the country. That was up 18.9% from 2019. Although traffic patterns have largely returned to pre-COVID levels, vehicular deaths remain comparatively high.

Suffering in South L.A.

A significant part of the decline in traffic deaths in Los Angeles stems from the end of the year. In the fourth quarter of 2023, 103 people died in traffic collisions. The count in the fourth quarter of 2024 was 71.

The greatest number of road fatalities occur, naturally, in the most densely populated and heavily trafficked parts of the city. Downtown, Van Nuys and Westlake last year each recorded 12 vehicular deaths.

When looked at through a wider geographic scope, South Los Angeles suffers disproportionately. Of the 21 police stations spread across the city, the three highest fatality totals were all among stations in the LAPD’s South Bureau: The 77th Street and Southwest stations each registered 31 traffic deaths. There were 23 in Southeast.

The four South Bureau stations together last year suffered 98 traffic fatalities. That was the same count as in the seven Valley stations. (Valley Bureau covers about 222 square miles, or nearly four times the area of South Bureau.)

The five stations in West Bureau each saw among the lowest number of vehicle deaths in the city. That included Wilshire station, which experienced just three fatalities.

Last year, 72% of the traffic fatalities were male. Only about one in four victims was female.

Quest for safer streets

City leaders have long sought to reduce traffic deaths. In 2015, Mayor Eric Garcetti instituted Vision Zero, which aimed to enhance safety through steps such as upgrading traffic signals and creating more protective infrastructure for cyclists. The goal was to eliminate traffic deaths by 2025. 

Instead, fatalities have risen, with one of the most notable categories being vehicle-pedestrian deaths. There were 88 such victims in 2015. Last year, the count was 170. 

That, however, is down from the 185 pedestrian-vehicle deaths in 2023.

A similar scenario has played out with hit-and-runs. Last year, 98 people in the city died in incidents in which a driver sped away after striking someone (whether a pedestrian or another vehicle). This is down from 108 deaths in 2023, but far exceeds the pre-COVID years.

Experts say there are numerous reasons for the increase in road deaths. Certain communities suffer from poor lighting and other shortfalls in street architecture. More people these days drive SUVs or other large vehicles that, during a collision, can inflict greater damage than a smaller sedan.

There are also people distracted by cell phones, whether someone texting while behind the wheel, or a pedestrian looking down at a screen when crossing the street.

Although vehicle-related deaths receive the most attention, the injuries also stack up in Los Angeles. According to Traffic Division data, 1,522 people involved in a collision suffered a severe injury during 2024. That marked the third consecutive year north of 1,500.

In the entire 2010s, the annual number of serious injuries in the city never surpassed 1,300.

While efforts to enhance road safety continue, so do the tragedies. That includes an 87-year-old woman who was killed on Jan. 13 after being struck by a van in Echo Park. The driver fled, and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

How we did it: We examined publicly available collision data from the Los Angeles Police Department Traffic Division from January 1, 2010–Dec. 31, 2024. LAPD data only reflects collisions that are reported to the department, not how many collisions actually occurred. In making our calculations, we rely on the data the LAPD makes publicly available. LAPD may update past collision reports with new information, or recategorize past reports. Those revised reports do not always automatically become part of the public database.

Have questions about our data or want to know more? Write to us at askus@xtown.la.