This Northern California highway is one of the deadliest in the US, study says

A stretch of Interstate 80 through Northern California is among the most dangerous interstate highways in the United States, a study reported.

The interstate, which runs from San Francisco through Sacramento to the Nevada border in California, had 277 fatal accidents from 2019 to 2023, or about 1.39 per mile, the study by Camili & Capo PA of New Jersey said.

That ranked it No. 8 on the study’s list of the top 30 most dangerous U.S. interstates, rating each state’s portion of interstate highways by number of fatal crashes per mile.

Three other interstates in California also made the list, including Interstate 5, which came in at No. 29 with 779 fatal accidents over 796 miles, or about 0.98 deaths per mile.

I-5 in California runs from the Oregon state line through Sacramento to the U.S.-Mexico border

The highway also landed at No. 6 on the study’s list of the most dangerous interstates overall, spanning multiple states, with 1,119 fatal crashes across 1,381 miles.

On the list of highway stretches within California, Intestate 10 ranked seventh on the list, with 1.52 fatal crashes per mile. I-10 runs from Santa Monica to the Nevada border.

Interstate 15 in California ranked No. 11 with 1.33 fatal crashes per mile, the study said. I-15 runs from San Diego to the Nevada border.

The deadliest stretch of interstate in the United States, according to the study, is Interstate 94 through Illinois, which had two fatal crashes per mile.

Others in the top 10 include Interstate 24 through Kentucky, Interstate 55 through Tennessee, Interstate 14 through Texas, Interstates 95 and 4 through Florida, I-95 in Delaware, and Interstate 45 in Texas.

This story was originally published December 29, 2025 at 9:03 AM.