No city wants to be known for its dangerous traffic crashes, but Modesto has certainly earned this reputation in recent years. In a recent survey, the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) ranked Modesto third in total crash-related fatalities and injuries for 2021 compared to 59 peer cities with populations ranging from 100,001 to 250,000.
The OTS considers many different types of crashes in its report, including alcohol-related accidents and driver collisions with motorcycles, pedestrians, and bicycles. Its survey also accounts for excessive speed, nighttime, and hit-and-run incidents. The data for 2021 linked 235 injuries and fatalities to alcohol and 183 similar incidents to speeding drivers.
What Types of Car Accidents Occur in Modesto?
Additional data from the California Highway Patrol’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) shows that from 2019–2023, Modesto averaged 104.8 car accidents per year that involved a fatality or serious injury. TIMS also notes that most accidents in the city happen on weekdays between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. This statistic corresponds to after-school pick-up times and after-work commutes during the evening rush hour.
Broadside collisions are the most common type of traffic crash in Modesto. TIMS reported 2904 of these incidents occurring between 2019 and 2023, plus 460 head-on collisions and 95 rollovers during the same time period.
Injuries from Car Accidents
In 2023, many Modesto residents involved in traffic accidents experienced serious harm. There was a total of 1,282 injury causing collisions resulting in 15 deaths in the city.
Traffic accidents can cause several types of critical injuries, including:
- head trauma and brain injuries
- neck and spinal injuries
- chest injuries
- lacerations
- organ damage or internal bleeding
- fractured or broken bones
- burns and smoke inhalation
Traffic crashes can have devastating consequences. On April 9, 2024, four people, including a one-year-old child, were killed in a head-on crash near Modesto. Four cars were involved in the collision.
Traffic accidents also cause delays and road closures that can further exacerbate a tendency to drive recklessly. Drivers who are in a rush are more likely to become frustrated, agitated, and distracted, leading them to make errors and take risks, like speeding, which can cause them to lose control of their vehicles.
City Improvements in the Works
At City Council workshops held in 2022, City Manager Joe Lopez acknowledged that crashes are an issue, noting that public safety services had been reduced due to budget cuts. At the time, five officers were assigned to the police department’s traffic safety unit.
OTS spokesman Tim Weisberg noted that enforcement, road design, and public education campaigns all contribute to safer streets. Several years ago, College Avenue was redesigned to slow traffic while making more room for bicycles and parked cars. The city has also encouraged citizens to request traffic-calming measures by signing an online petition.
Even so, Lopez, Weisberg, and Sgt. Dan Starr, the head of Modesto’s traffic safety unit, believe that having too few traffic officers is a problem. Starr says that, without enforcement, drivers tend to drive more aggressively.
The California Highway Safety Plan 2023, published by the OTS, notes that the agency has allocated about $108 million in federal funding to address the crisis and support transportation-related programs in the state. A City of Modesto 2024–2025 Budget Workshop presentation shows that the Police Department received over $500,000 in grant money, which is intended to promote safety and help local authorities protect citizens from unlawful and dangerous drivers.
Whatever the City of Modesto does to reduce the number of auto accidents in the future, it is clear that drivers must practice caution and stay alert to stay safe. Drivers who find themselves in a traffic crash should always seek medical attention, collect information about the accident, speak truthfully to law enforcement, and consider hiring legal representation to help them protect their rights as they move forward.
