California Office of Traffic Safety · 2023
San Diego accident statistics from California OTS
This 2023 city ranking reports people killed or injured and selected fatal-and-injury collision categories in separate tables. It does not report a total of all San Diego crashes or a separate number of deaths.
What the 2023 figures say
OTS lists 4,861 people killed or injured in San Diego. Its separate collision table lists 661 speed-related, 627 nighttime, and 533 hit-and-run fatal-or-injury collisions. These categories can overlap and should not be summed.
OTS places San Diego in population group A, comparing it with 15 California cities of similar size that year. The figures do not establish fault or injury in an individual event.
Official OTS ranking categories
The count column changes units between these tables. OTS ranks cities within population groups, with 1 as the highest category ranking. A ranking alone does not establish that a road or city is safe or dangerous. See the OTS definitions and ranking method.
| OTS category | Count | Group A rank |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fatal and Injury | 4,861 | 13/15 |
| Motorcycles | 349 | 4/15 |
| Pedestrians | 522 | 10/15 |
| Bicyclists | 380 | 6/15 |
| OTS category | Count | Group A rank |
|---|---|---|
| Speed Related | 661 | 12/15 |
| Nighttime (9:00pm – 2:59am) | 627 | 12/15 |
| Hit and Run | 533 | 12/15 |
How to use this source
- The 4,861 count is people killed or injured, not the number of collisions or a separate death count.
- OTS excludes property-damage-only incidents from its victim categories. City rankings also have reporting-jurisdiction limits described in the official methodology.
- For an actual crash, preserve the date, exact location, report number if known, photographs, and the first treatment record. Identify the investigating agency from the incident paperwork before requesting its records.
Source and review
Source: California OTS San Diego 2023 ranking. Definitions: OTS crash-ranking guide. Figures and units checked 2026-09-24.