America’s Most Dangerous Roads: New Studies Expose the High Cost of Driving and Walking in Kern County

Bakersfield and Kern County have become ground zero for some of America’s deadliest roads for drivers and pedestrians, according to two recent studies.

High‑speed corridors like Interstate 5, Highway 99, and Highway 178, combined with dangerous city streets, are putting local drivers and pedestrians at extreme risk, according to recent analyses by MoneyGeek and The Washington Post.

MoneyGeek’s study of California crash data found that Kern County recorded 492 traffic deaths in 439 fatal crashes over just three years (from 2017–2019), one of the highest totals in the state.

Those crashes weren’t random:​

• 130 fatal crashes involved drunk driving.
• 23 involved distracted driving.
• 110 were speeding‑related.​

The analysis also highlighted that Kern’s deadliest single roadway during that period was I-5, with 36 fatal crashes, marking it as one of California’s most lethal stretches of freeway. This runs parallel to other findings (highlighted in this Chain | Cohn | Clark’s blog) that Highway 99 and Highway 178 through Bakersfield are also among California’s most dangerous roads, thanks to a mix of heavy truck traffic, changing speed limits, sharp curves, and widespread speeding and impairment.​

What makes these local roads so deadly isn’t just bad luck, it’s infrastructure and behavior colliding. Wide, straight lanes encourage speeding; inconsistent speed zones confuse drivers; and a lack of physical barriers or medians often turns minor errors into deadly head-on collisions. Experts say that Kern County’s mix of rural highways feeding into dense city corridors amplifies risk patterns seen nationwide.

Washington Post’s investigation into the nation’s deadliest roads for pedestrians put Bakersfield in the national spotlight also.

Nationwide, yearly pedestrian deaths rose about 70 percent between 2010 and 2023, climbing to more than 7,300 deaths in 2023 alone.​ In Bakersfield specifically, the Post found a grim marker of how violent local crashes have become:

• In 2010, just over one‑quarter of pedestrians struck by vehicles in Bakersfield were declared dead at the scene.
• By 2023, that figure had climbed to more than 70 percent, mirroring a sharp increase in the city’s total pedestrian deaths.​

The report highlighted corridors like North Chester Avenue and other arterial roads in the Bakersfield area where multiple people have been killed in short spans of time, often in hit‑and‑run crashes involving large trucks or SUVs and high speeds. The pattern is clear: roads built to move cars quickly — wide lanes, long distances between safe crossings, generous turning areas — are proving deadly for people on foot.​

Local officials told the Post they have invested millions in safety upgrades — adding crossings, improving sidewalks, and redesigning lanes — but the continuing death toll shows how far there is to go.​

Even with these efforts, advocates argue Bakersfield needs a more aggressive “Vision Zero” plan, a data-driven strategy adopted in major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco that aims to eliminate all traffic deaths through better street design, enforcement, and community education. Public awareness campaigns, automated speed enforcement, and targeted redesigns of the city’s most dangerous intersections could save lives if implemented locally.

“Together, these studies show that Kern County isn’t dealing with just one “problem road”, it’s a system of high‑risk corridors that collectively produce a disproportionate share of deaths in our community,” said Matt Clark, managing partner and attorney at the Law Office of Chain | Cohn | Clark.

Clark added: “The fatality numbers tied to these studies are not just statistics on a chart: they’re parents, children, and neighbors who never made it home. Kern County deserves streets that protect lives, not gamble with them.”

Together, MoneyGeek’s and The Washington Post’s findings point to the same core problems on Bakersfield and Kern County streets:

• High rates of impairment and distraction: A significant share of Kern’s fatal crashes involve drunk or distracted driving.​
• Speed‑first road design: Freeways like I‑5 and arterials like North Chester and Union avenues prioritize high vehicle speeds over safety.​
• Deadly outcomes for pedestrians: More people are dying at the scene, reflecting the combination of vehicle size, speed, and hostile street design.​

As spelled out in previous blog articles, experts agree on a multifaceted approach to reduce traffic fatalities including enhanced enforcement, public awareness campaigns, infrastructure upgrades, and better vehicle safety standards.

Ultimately, safety begins with accountability: from drivers who make daily decisions behind the wheel, to policymakers responsible for how our streets are built and maintained.

“We encourages residents to stay alert, drive sober, and support local safety initiatives that prioritize human life over commute times,” Clark said. “A safer Kern County is possible, but only if the community demands and drives the change together.”

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If you or someone you know is injured in an accident at the fault of someone else, or injured on the job no matter whose fault it is, contact the attorneys at Chain | Cohn | Clark by calling (661) 323-4000, or fill out a free consultation form, text, or chat with us at chainlaw.com.