AFTER PANDEMIC-INDUCED DECLINE, TRAFFIC-RELATED INJURIES AND FATALITIES RISE AGAIN
Traffic safety is an important element of a livable community that supports safe and reliable transportation choices including driving, transit, bicycling, and walking. Yet nationwide there are thousands of victims of traffic collisions each year, and many of those injuries or fatalities were potentially preventable. Factors that influence traffic safety include road design, posted traffic speed, road and sidewalk quality, and driver behaviors like speeding, driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, and distracted driving. Traffic safety data helps communities assess whether strategies to improve safety are having an impact. This indicator tracks the number of San Bernardino County victims of vehicle collisions per 10,000 residents and the number of pedestrians and bicyclists killed or injured in vehicle collisions by age and race/ethnicity.
TREND
There were 15,946 people injured or killed in vehicle collisions in San Bernardino County in 2021, a 25% increase from 2020, when pandemic-induced declines in travel contributed to a lower-than-average number of vehicle collisions. Since 2014, the absolute number of people injured or killed in collisions grew 18% while the per capita rate grew 14%. On average, the per capita rate of fatalities and injuries has increased 3% annually between 2014 and 2021.
INJURIES AND FATALITIES INCREASE FOLLOWING 2020 DECLINE
Victims Killed or Injured in Vehicle Collisions per 10,000 in San Bernardino County, 2014-2021
Bicyclists and/or pedestrians were involved in 5% of all traffic collisions in 2021. After a decline in the number of bicyclist and pedestrian victims in 2020, the 2021 count of victims (646) represents a one-year increase of 21% in pedestrian injuries and fatalities and the third highest count reported since 2012. In contrast, while bicyclist injuries and fatalities increased 4% between 2020 and 2021, from 222 to 230 victims, there has been a decline of 44% since 2012, when there were 412 bicyclist injuries and fatalities.
AFTER 2020 DECLINE, PEDESTRIAN FATALITIES AND INJURIES INCREASE AGAIN IN 2021
Pedestrians Injured or Killed in Vehicle Collisions by Age in San Bernardino County, 2012-2021
* Data for 2021 are preliminary and subject to change.
Note: Data for people ages 15 and over includes people whose age was unknown.
Source: Transportation Injury Mapping System data compiled by San Bernardino County Transportation Authority and California Department of Finance Population Estimates, Table E-2
| Year | Number of Victims Under 15 Years | Number of Victims 15 Years and Older | Victims per 10,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 102 | 426 | 2.5 |
| 2013 | 86 | 399 | 2.3 |
| 2014 | 109 | 492 | 2.9 |
| 2015 | 102 | 466 | 2.7 |
| 2016 | 78 | 540 | 2.9 |
| 2017 | 88 | 586 | 3.1 |
| 2018 | 80 | 562 | 3.0 |
| 2019 | 90 | 620 | 3.3 |
| 2020 | 37 | 498 | 2.4 |
| 2021 | 53 | 593 | 3.0 |
BICYCLIST INJURIES AND DEATHS INCREASE SLIGHTLY IN 2021
Bicyclists Injured or Killed in Vehicle Collisions by Age in San Bernardino County, 2014-2021
* Data for 2021 are preliminary and subject to change.
Note: Data for people ages 15 and over includes people whose age was unknown.
Source: Transportation Injury Mapping System data compiled by San Bernardino County Transportation Authority and California Department of Finance Population Estimates, Table E-2
| Year | Under 15 Years | 15 Years and Older | Total | Victims per 10,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 95 | 317 | 412 | 2.0 |
| 2013 | 83 | 353 | 436 | 2.1 |
| 2014 | 70 | 353 | 423 | 2.0 |
| 2015 | 53 | 314 | 367 | 1.7 |
| 2016 | 43 | 294 | 337 | 1.6 |
| 2017 | 41 | 267 | 308 | 1.4 |
| 2018 | 38 | 276 | 314 | 1.5 |
| 2019 | 41 | 215 | 256 | 1.2 |
| 2020 | 18 | 204 | 222 | 1.0 |
| 2021* | 28 | 202 | 230 | 1.1 |
RACE/ETHNICITY DETAIL
2020 in San Bernardino County, 354 Latino bicyclists or pedestrians were victims in a vehicle collision, compared to 235 White cyclists or pedestrians, 100 Black cyclists or pedestrians, and 17 Asian cyclists or pedestrians. While there were fewer Black cyclist and pedestrian victims than Latino and White cyclists and pedestrians, Black cyclists and pedestrians experienced the highest rate of victimization at 5.4 per 10,000 Black residents. Asian cyclists and pedestrians experienced the lowest rate of victimization at 1.2 per 10,000 Asian residents.[1] These rates do not take into account the possibility of different levels of walking or cycling by race/ethnicity, which is unknown. The Equity Gap Score for bicyclist and pedestrian victims of traffic collisions was 4.4, which indicates that the group with the highest rate of injury or death (Black cyclists or pedestrians) was over six times higher than the group with the lowest rate of injury or death (Asian cyclists or pedestrians).
BLACK CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS HAVE HIGHER RATE OF INJURY OR DEATH
Bicyclists or Pedestrians Injured or Killed in Vehicle Collisions per 10,000 by Race/Ethnicity in San Bernardino County, 2020
| Race/Ethnicity | Victims per 10,000 |
|---|---|
| Asian | 1.2 |
| Latino | 3.2 |
| Average | 3.5 |
| White | 3.5 |
| Black | 5.4 |
Source: Transportation Injury Mapping System and California Department of Finance Population Projections, Table P-2D
[1] Since 2021 data are preliminary, 2020 data were selected for the race/ethnicity detail analysis to improve accuracy.