Car Accidents in San Jose, CA: Crash Data and Road Safety
Key crash statistics, high-risk roads, and accident report resources in Santa Clara County.
Flat ground made it easy to build out instead of up, so most of the city is spread-out neighborhoods tied together by freeways like 101, 280, 680, and 87, plus wide county expressways and fast multi-lane arterials where speeds creep up quickly.
That’s a lot of miles, and where you crashed decides which agency writes the report and where you’ll go to get a copy.
After an Accident in San Jose: Reports and Agencies
The San Jose Police Department investigates crashes on city streets, including the county expressways where they run inside city limits, such as Capitol Expressway. The California Highway Patrol covers the freeways, including 101, 280, 680, 880, 87, 85, 17 and 237. The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office polices the unincorporated pockets of the county.
San Jose Police collision reports come from the SJPD Records Unit at 201 West Mission Street. You can request one online through the department’s Open Records Center, starting at least 45 days after the crash, or by mail for $16 by check or money order to the City of San Jose. Reports on fatal crashes, felony hit-and-runs and crashes involving an emergency vehicle can’t be ordered online.
The Report Counter in the Police Administration Building lobby keeps reduced hours; the records line is (408) 277-4143. California Vehicle Code 20012 limits reports to the people involved, their representatives and insurers.
For a freeway crash, send a CHP 190 form to your nearest CHP Area office, such as the San Jose Area office at 2020 Junction Avenue, by mail or in person, with a copy of your photo ID or a notarized signature. The fee is $10 for up to 25 pages.
California also requires every driver in a crash that hurt or killed anyone, or did more than $1,000 in damage, to file an SR-1 with the DMV within 10 days. It applies regardless of fault, and a police report does not count as filing it.
Not sure which agency holds your report? We can help you find out.
Our California accident resources gather reports from across the state.
San Jose Traffic Deaths by Year
| Measure | Figure | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| People killed in traffic crashes | 41 | 2025 | City of San Jose Department of Transportation |
| People killed in traffic crashes | 49 | 2024 | City of San Jose Department of Transportation |
| People killed in traffic crashes: the recent peak | 65 | 2022 | City of San Jose Department of Transportation |
| Deaths on streets posted 35 mph or higher | 39 of 49 | 2024 | City of San Jose Department of Transportation |
| People killed or injured in crashes | 3,294 | 2023 | California Office of Traffic Safety |
| Pedestrians killed or injured | 314 | 2023 | California Office of Traffic Safety |
The death counts come from City of San Jose releases in August 2025 and April 2026, and the 2023 injury counts from the state Office of Traffic Safety. Deaths have fallen from 65 to 41 in three years.
The City attributed nine of the 49 deaths in 2024 directly to speeding, and about 20 of the 2025 deaths were pedestrians, roughly the same as the year before, according to City figures reported by San Jose Spotlight. San Jose Police had investigated at least 37 traffic deaths in 2026 by late September.
San Jose’s Priority Safety Corridors
The City lists 31 Priority Safety Corridors, the streets where fatal and severe crashes concentrate. In March 2025 the City Council also designated 110 miles of the most dangerous streets, 4 percent of the city’s roads, as Safety Corridors eligible for lower speed limits.
- King Road, McKee Road to Capitol Expressway. The City calls the six miles of King Road from Berryessa Road to Capitol Expressway “one of the most dangerous streets in the city for traffic-related injuries and deaths,” and the corridor carries some of San Jose’s highest bus ridership. In December 2025 the City Council took up a cut in the limit just north of the corridor, between McKee and Berryessa, from 40 to 35 mph.
- Story Road, Senter Road to Fleming Avenue. On the City’s Priority Safety Corridor list. In fall 2021 the City added quick-build safety changes between Knox Avenue and White Road, including radar speed signs, high-visibility crosswalks, curb extensions, protected bike lanes and new streetlights.
- Senter Road, Story Road to Monterey Road. The City’s Senter Road Safety Study, from Tully Road to Monterey Road, points to a “consistently high number of severe and fatal crashes.”
- Monterey Road, Alma Avenue to Bernal Road. On the corridor list, and the stretch from Bernal Road to Blossom Hill Road was cut from 55 to 50 mph under the City’s 2025 speed limit changes.
- Capitol Expressway, I-680 to SR 87. A mostly county-run expressway on the City’s corridor list. San Jose Police handle crashes on it inside city limits, including a fatal crash at Bluefield Drive in November 2023.
Where San Jose Crash Victims Go for Trauma Care
After you have been hurt in a San Jose crash, you’ll most likely be taken to one of two trauma centers, both run by the county’s Santa Clara Valley Healthcare system. The bigger of the two is Santa Clara Valley Medical Center at 751 South Bascom Avenue, a Level I trauma center verified by the American College of Surgeons, so it’s equipped for the most serious injuries.
Over in East San Jose, Regional Medical Center at 225 North Jackson Avenue is a Level II trauma center, which gives that side of the city a closer option for serious crash injuries too.
Questions About Crashes in San Jose
How many people die in traffic crashes in San Jose each year?
Traffic crashes killed 41 people in San Jose in 2025, down from 49 in 2024 and a recent high of 65 in 2022, according to the City’s Department of Transportation. In 2024, 39 of the 49 deaths happened on streets posted at 35 mph or higher.
What are the most dangerous streets in San Jose?
The City’s 31 Priority Safety Corridors carry a concentration of fatal and severe crashes. They include King Road, Story Road, Senter Road, Monterey Road and Capitol Expressway. The City describes King Road between Berryessa Road and Capitol Expressway as one of the most dangerous streets in San Jose.
Who investigates a crash on a San Jose expressway?
Inside city limits, San Jose Police investigate crashes on the county expressways, such as Capitol Expressway, as well as on city streets. The California Highway Patrol handles crashes on the freeways, including 101, 280, 680, 880 and 87. The agency that responded holds the report.
Where is the nearest trauma center in San Jose?
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center on South Bascom Avenue is San Jose’s Level I trauma center, verified by the American College of Surgeons. Regional Medical Center on North Jackson Avenue in East San Jose is a Level II trauma center. Both belong to the county’s public health system.
Santa Clara County Accident Reports on Local Accident Reports
Three-Vehicle Crash on SR-87 SB in San Jose, CA
Two-Vehicle Crash Blocks Lanes on SR-87 NB in San Jose, CA
Three-Vehicle Crash Snarls SR-237 WB in San Jose, CA
Hit-and-Run Injury Crash on Hecate Pl in San Jose, CA
Rollover Three-Vehicle Crash on SR-87 SB in San Jose, CA
At Local Accident Reports, we cover crashes in all fifty states. But that’s not all; we also report the latest wrecks county by county, since every state features a wide variety of cities and areas that don’t always share traffic and crash patterns.
Our goal is to give drivers and other road users reliable, up-to-date crash information for any location they’re interested in.
Here you can find some of the most recent crashes in Santa Clara County, which covers San Jose along with Santa Clara, Milpitas and Cupertino. Our crash reports for this city cover all sorts of accidents: from car wrecks to pedestrian accidents, and residential and commercial fires too. You can check our full archive at Santa Clara County accident news.
San Jose isn’t the only city dealing with frequent crash activity in the Golden State. High-crash intersections across California tend to share a lot of the same patterns, so if you want to see how San Jose stacks up, that’s a good place to start.
And if you’d rather keep tabs on what’s happening right now in the state or anywhere else in the country, our recent accident alerts track new crashes as they’re reported.
Local Accident Reports compiles this information from public agency sources and published reports for general reference. It is not legal advice and is not an official police record. Fees, forms and deadlines change, so confirm with the agency before you send a request. Last updated October 2026.