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Los Angeles Pedestrian Safety Report: 2025 Data, Danger Corridors & What Needs to Change
| ★ 2025 KEY FINDINGS • 290 total traffic fatalities in Los Angeles in 2025 — more than 150 involved pedestrians (LAPD) • Traffic deaths exceeded homicides in LA for the third consecutive year • LA County: 175 pedestrian deaths, 526 total traffic fatalities (CHP/SWITRS 2025) • Pedestrians represent roughly 1 in 3 of all LA County traffic deaths • LA has invested nearly $350 million in Vision Zero since 2015 — fatalities remain above the 2015 baseline • 6% of LA street miles carry 65% of pedestrian and cyclist deaths and serious injuries (LADOT High Injury Network) |
Los Angeles streets kill more people than its criminals do. For three consecutive years, traffic fatalities in the city of Los Angeles have outnumbered homicides — a public health crisis that hides in plain sight behind the city’s headline crime statistics. Pedestrians bear the sharpest edge of that crisis, accounting for more than half of all traffic deaths in the city in recent years.
This report compiles the most current available data on Los Angeles pedestrian fatalities, identifies the corridors and communities where the risk is highest, examines why the city’s landmark Vision Zero program has failed to reverse the trend, and explains what legal protections exist for pedestrians and their families when a negligent driver or a dangerous road condition is responsible.
Steven M. Sweat has represented pedestrian accident victims in Los Angeles for over 30 years. This report is published annually using the most recently available LAPD and CHP data and will be updated each June.
1. Los Angeles Pedestrian Fatalities: The Numbers
City of Los Angeles — Annual Fatality Trend (LAPD Data)
| Year | Total Traffic Fatalities | Pedestrian Deaths | Peds as % of Total | vs. Homicides |
| 2015 | ~240 | ~118 | ~49% | Homicides ~282 — traffic < homicides |
| 2019 | ~231 | ~121 | ~52% | Pre-pandemic baseline |
| 2020 | 242 | 122 | 50% | Homicides 350 — traffic < homicides |
| 2021 | 294 | 128 | 44% | Homicides 402 — traffic < homicides |
| 2022 | 314 | 159 | 51% | Homicides 392 — traffic < homicides |
| 2023 | 345 (decade high) | 185 | 53.6% | Homicides 327 — traffic > homicides |
| 2024 | 303 | 170 | 56% | Homicides 268 — traffic > homicides |
| 2025 | 290 | 150+ | 52%+ | Homicides ~230 — traffic > homicides (3rd yr) |
Sources: LAPD Traffic Collision Records; CHP SWITRS; LAist review of LAPD data (February 2026); Crosstown LA; Streets Are For Everyone annual reports.
Los Angeles County — 2025 Data (CHP/SWITRS)
| Metric | 2025 (LA County) |
| Total traffic fatalities | 526 |
| Fatal crashes | 494 |
| Pedestrian fatalities | 175 |
| Pedestrians as % of all traffic deaths | ~33% |
| Cyclist fatalities | 16 |
| Motorcyclist fatalities | 67 |
| Total people killed or injured | 56,682+ |
Source: California Highway Patrol SWITRS 2025. LA County accounts for approximately 26% of all California crashes statewide.
| CONTEXT: Traffic fatalities in Los Angeles have exceeded homicides for three consecutive years. In 2025, collisions killed 290 people in the city — roughly 60 more than the approximately 230 who died by homicide. The 2025 figure represents a 6% decrease from 2024 and the second consecutive annual decline, but remains significantly above pre-pandemic levels and above the 2015 Vision Zero baseline. |
2. Ten Years of Vision Zero: What the Data Actually Shows
In 2015, then-Mayor Eric Garcetti adopted Vision Zero — a public safety framework originating in Sweden — with a stated goal of eliminating all traffic deaths in Los Angeles by 2025. The city has invested nearly $350 million in the program over the past decade. The result has been the opposite of the goal.
| Vision Zero Benchmark | 2015 Baseline | 2025 Outcome | Result |
| Total traffic fatalities | ~240 | 290 | 21% above 2015 baseline |
| Pedestrian fatalities | ~118 | 150+ | 27% above 2015 baseline |
| Goal: zero traffic deaths by 2025 | — | 290 deaths in city | Not achieved |
| $350M infrastructure investment | — | 7,000+ safety treatments | Partial — insufficient scale |
| Speed camera pilot (SB 645) | Not implemented | Cameras deploying 2025 | Positive — too early to measure |
Why Vision Zero Failed: The April 2025 Audit Findings
An independent audit released in April 2025 identified the core reasons the program missed its targets:
- Lack of cohesion across departments. Vision Zero spans LADOT, LAPD, public works, and public health — but these agencies operated with insufficient coordination. Enforcement, engineering, and education initiatives were not synchronized.
- Insufficient political will. Despite $350 million in nominal investment, the program has been consistently underfunded relative to its scope and deprioritized when competing with other city initiatives.
- Imbalanced approach. From approximately 2019 onward, the city shifted emphasis heavily toward engineering (road redesign) and away from enforcement. Traffic enforcement declined sharply during and after the pandemic, and fatalities rose in parallel.
- Scale problem. LADOT’s 7,000+ safety treatments work on the specific streets where they are deployed. But Los Angeles has 6,500 miles of streets. Treating 6% of them effectively cannot eliminate deaths on the other 94%.
- Post-pandemic behavioral shift. Traffic speeds increased dramatically when roads emptied during the pandemic. Those habits persisted. LA’s wide lanes and infrequent signals reward high-speed driving while punishing the pedestrians who must cross it.
| WHAT’S DIFFERENT IN 2025: California’s automated speed camera pilot program (authorized by SB 645, signed 2023) began deployment in Los Angeles in 2025. Speed cameras have demonstrated 20–30% reductions in speeding in cities where they have operated for multiple years. It is too early in the LA deployment to measure their effect on fatalities, but this is the most significant enforcement tool the city has introduced since Vision Zero launched. |
3. The High Injury Network: Where Pedestrian Deaths Concentrate
Los Angeles pedestrian deaths are not randomly distributed across the city’s 6,500 miles of streets. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s own data establishes that just 6% of LA street miles account for 65% of all pedestrian and cyclist deaths and serious injuries — a concentrated danger zone the city calls its High Injury Network (HIN).
High Injury Network Street Characteristics
The streets that make up the HIN share a consistent set of features that traffic engineers call ‘stroads’ — hybrids of residential streets and high-speed arterials that combine pedestrian activity with multi-lane vehicle speeds:
- Wide multi-lane design. Streets like Sepulveda Boulevard, Vermont Avenue, Western Avenue, Figueroa Street, and Avalon Boulevard carry high-speed through traffic through areas where people live, shop, and walk. Wide lanes signal to drivers that high speed is acceptable.
- Long crossing distances and signal spacing. Pedestrians on many LA arterials must cross five to seven lanes of traffic with limited refuge islands and long signal wait times that incentivize risky mid-block crossings.
- Poor lighting. Approximately 75% of pedestrian fatalities in California occur at night or in low-light conditions (NHTSA). Many high-risk HIN corridors have inadequate street lighting.
- Freeway adjacency. Streets near freeway on/off ramps consistently appear in the highest-crash data. Drivers decelerating from freeway speeds or accelerating toward on-ramps pose acute danger to pedestrians crossing nearby intersections.
- SUV and large vehicle prevalence. SUVs and large pickups strike pedestrians in the chest and head rather than the legs, dramatically increasing the probability of fatal injury. A pedestrian struck at 40 mph by an SUV faces approximately a 90% chance of death or catastrophic injury. The share of SUVs and pickups in LA’s vehicle fleet grows each year.
Geographic Concentration: South Los Angeles
Traffic violence in Los Angeles is not only geographically concentrated — it is inequitably distributed. The communities bearing the highest burden are predominantly low-income, Black, and Latino neighborhoods in South Los Angeles, which have historically received less investment in pedestrian infrastructure:
- The LAPD’s 77th Street and Southeast divisions in South LA each recorded 31 traffic deaths in 2024 — among the highest of any LAPD division citywide.
- The concentration of the city’s most dangerous intersections — San Pedro/Washington, Florence/Vermont, Avalon/Manchester — in South LA reflects decades of underinvestment in crosswalk signals, sidewalk maintenance, and lighting on streets that carry both heavy truck traffic and high pedestrian volumes.
- Residents of South LA are more likely to walk and use transit than residents of wealthier neighborhoods, increasing their exposure to streets designed primarily for vehicles, not people.
For the specific intersection data showing which locations recorded the highest crash concentrations over the past four years, see our companion analysis: The 25 Most Dangerous Intersections in Los Angeles Based on Crash Data.
4. What Is Killing Pedestrians: Causes and Contributing Factors
| Contributing Factor | Estimated Role in LA Pedestrian Deaths | Notes |
| Speeding / excessive speed | 35%+ of fatal crashes | Single most predictive factor for fatality severity — risk rises sharply above 30 mph |
| Driver impairment (alcohol/drugs) | ~30% of pedestrian deaths | California and national data; DUI enforcement declined post-2020 |
| Low-light / nighttime conditions | ~75% of fatalities | NHTSA national data; consistent with LA-specific LAPD reports |
| Hit-and-run | ~25–30% of LA pedestrian fatalities | LA ranks among highest hit-and-run cities nationally; perpetrators often flee due to impairment or lack of insurance |
| Mid-block / non-intersection crossing | ~72% of fatal crashes | LAPD data; long signal spacing forces pedestrians into mid-block crossings |
| Distracted driving | ~15% (significantly underreported) | Police rarely cite distraction without driver self-report; true share likely higher |
| Vehicle type (SUV/pickup) | Growing share of fatalities | Higher fatality rate on pedestrian impact; LA fleet share increasing annually |
Sources: NHTSA FARS; LAPD Traffic Collision Records; CHP SWITRS; LADOT Vision Zero data; Streets Are For Everyone annual reports.
The Hit-and-Run Epidemic
Los Angeles has a particularly severe hit-and-run problem relative to other major U.S. cities. A disproportionate share of pedestrian fatalities involve drivers who flee — often because they are impaired, uninsured, or both. California Vehicle Code §20001 makes leaving the scene of an injury accident a felony, but prosecution rates remain low when the driver is not identified at the scene.
For California-wide traffic fatality data and context, see our California Car Accident Statistics 2026 Report.
5. Los Angeles vs. Other Major U.S. Cities
Comparing pedestrian fatality rates per capita provides the most meaningful context for evaluating LA’s performance against peer cities.
| City | Population | 2024 Pedestrian Deaths | Rate per 100K | Notes |
| Los Angeles | 3.9M | 170 | 4.36 | Among highest large-city rates nationally |
| New York City | 8.3M | ~115 | 1.39 | Consistently lower rate; extensive pedestrian infrastructure |
| Chicago | 2.7M | ~60 | 2.22 | Lower rate; denser grid with shorter crossing distances |
| Houston | 2.3M | ~115 | 5.00 | Higher rate; similar auto-centric design challenges |
| Phoenix | 1.6M | ~130 | 8.13 | Highest large-city rate; extreme auto-centric design |
| San Francisco | 0.87M | ~20 | 2.30 | Lower rate; targeted Vision Zero investments |
Sources: NHTSA FARS 2024 preliminary; GHSA Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State 2024; respective city traffic safety reports. Rates per 100,000 residents.
Los Angeles’s pedestrian fatality rate of approximately 4.36 per 100,000 residents is roughly three times New York City’s and nearly twice Chicago’s — cities with comparable or greater density. New York has invested heavily in pedestrian plazas, signal retiming, daylighting at crosswalks, and speed limit enforcement. Los Angeles, despite its $350 million Vision Zero commitment, has implemented fewer of these interventions at meaningful scale.
6. California Statewide Context
- California averages approximately 3 pedestrian deaths per day statewide (NHTSA/OTS).
- California ranks 8th in the nation for pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 residents.
- Pedestrian fatalities in California have risen more than 25% over the past decade.
- Urban areas — Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco — account for more than 70% of all California pedestrian deaths.
- Approximately 75% of California pedestrian fatalities occur at night or in low-light conditions.
- Non-intersection locations account for roughly 72–80% of fatal pedestrian crashes in California.
7. What Needs to Change: Evidence-Based Recommendations
Engineering Interventions
- Daylighting at crosswalks. Removing parked vehicles from the final 20 feet before crosswalks improves driver sight lines and reduces pedestrian strikes. New York implemented this at scale; LA has done so on a limited basis.
- Leading Pedestrian Intervals (LPIs). Giving pedestrians a 3–7 second head start before vehicles receive a green light reduces conflict and improves visibility. LADOT has installed LPIs at hundreds of intersections; broader deployment is needed.
- Raised crosswalks and speed tables. Physical infrastructure that forces vehicles to slow before intersections reduces both speed and pedestrian deaths. Effective but expensive at scale.
- Lighting upgrades on HIN corridors. The correlation between darkness and pedestrian fatality is the strongest in the data. LED upgrades on the 20 highest-fatality corridors would have an immediate measurable effect.
Enforcement Interventions
- Speed cameras (SB 645). Now deploying in LA. Cities operating speed cameras for 3+ years typically see 20–30% reductions in speeding on monitored corridors — the highest-impact single enforcement tool available.
- Targeted DUI enforcement on pedestrian-heavy corridors. Approximately 30% of pedestrian deaths involve driver impairment. Targeting DUI enforcement on HIN corridors during peak fatality hours (6 PM–midnight) would reduce deaths.
Policy Interventions
- Equity-centered infrastructure investment. South LA communities bear disproportionate fatality rates despite having less political capital to demand infrastructure improvements. Fatality data — not council district political weight — should drive spending.
- Speed limit reductions on HIN corridors. Reducing posted speeds from 35–40 mph to 25–30 mph on the highest-risk corridors, backed by enforcement, would materially reduce fatality severity.
8. Your Legal Rights as a Pedestrian Injury Victim in California
Driver Liability
California Vehicle Code §21950 requires all drivers to yield the right of way to pedestrians at both marked and unmarked crosswalks. Vehicle Code §22350 requires drivers to travel at a speed that is safe for conditions — not merely at or below the posted limit. A driver who strikes a pedestrian in a crosswalk, at a crossing, or at any location where a pedestrian is foreseeably present faces significant liability under California negligence law.
Government Entity Liability
When a dangerous road design — inadequate lighting, a missing crosswalk signal, a defective curb cut, a malfunctioning traffic signal — contributes to a pedestrian fatality or injury, the City of Los Angeles, Caltrans, or another government entity may bear liability under the Government Claims Act. Claims against government entities require filing a government tort claim within six months of the date of injury — far shorter than the standard two-year personal injury statute of limitations. Missing this deadline is typically fatal to the claim.
Comparative Fault and Pedestrian Claims
California follows pure comparative negligence — a pedestrian who was crossing mid-block, against a signal, or otherwise contributing to the accident can still recover compensation, with damages reduced by their percentage of fault. Insurance companies routinely inflate pedestrian fault to minimize payouts. See: California Comparative Fault Law: Pure Comparative Negligence Explained (2026 Guide).
For a complete guide to your legal rights after a pedestrian accident — including what to do at the scene, how liability is established, and when a government entity may share responsibility — see: Pedestrian Accident Lawyer Los Angeles: Rights After Injury.
For settlement values specific to pedestrian accident cases: Average Pedestrian Accident Settlement Values in California.
9. Frequently Asked Questions
How many pedestrians are killed in Los Angeles each year?
In 2025, more than 150 pedestrians were killed in traffic collisions in the city of Los Angeles, accounting for more than half of all traffic fatalities. At the county level, 175 pedestrians were killed in 2025 according to CHP/SWITRS data. These figures represent a modest decline from 2024 (170 pedestrian deaths in the city; 185 in 2023) but remain well above pre-pandemic levels.
Does Los Angeles have more traffic deaths than homicides?
Yes, for three consecutive years (2023, 2024, 2025). In 2025, 290 people were killed in traffic collisions in the city of Los Angeles, compared to approximately 230 homicides. This trend began in 2023, when 345 traffic deaths exceeded 327 homicides for the first time in recent memory.
What is the High Injury Network in Los Angeles?
The High Injury Network (HIN) is a dataset maintained by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation identifying the streets where pedestrian and cyclist deaths and serious injuries are most concentrated. Just 6% of LA’s 6,500 street miles account for 65% of all pedestrian and cyclist fatalities and serious injuries. These are primarily wide, high-speed arterials in South LA and other underserved communities that combine high pedestrian activity with roads engineered for fast vehicle movement.
Has Vision Zero worked in Los Angeles?
Not as intended. Los Angeles adopted Vision Zero in 2015 with a goal of zero traffic deaths by 2025. Traffic fatalities rose from approximately 240 in 2015 to a decade high of 345 in 2023. A 2025 independent audit found the program was hampered by lack of coordination between city agencies, insufficient political will, and an imbalanced approach that de-emphasized enforcement. The 2025 deployment of automated speed cameras (SB 645) is the most significant new tool introduced since the program launched.
What time of day are pedestrians most at risk in Los Angeles?
Approximately 75% of pedestrian fatalities occur at night or in low-light conditions. Evening hours — particularly 6 PM to midnight — are the most dangerous for pedestrians on LA streets, driven by reduced visibility, higher rates of driver impairment, and higher vehicle speeds on corridors where traffic enforcement is minimal.
What should I do if I’m hit by a car as a pedestrian in Los Angeles?
Call 911 immediately and request police and medical assistance. Document the scene — the vehicle, the driver, road conditions, witnesses. Seek medical attention even if you feel uninjured; concussion and internal injury symptoms commonly present hours or days later. Do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company without speaking to a pedestrian accident attorney first. If a government road condition contributed to the accident, you must file a government tort claim within six months of the injury date.
Can I sue the City of Los Angeles if I was hit at a dangerous intersection?
Potentially yes. If a defective road condition — inadequate lighting, a malfunctioning signal, a missing crosswalk, poor sight lines — contributed to your injury, the City of Los Angeles may bear liability. However, you must file a government tort claim with the city within six months of the injury date before filing a lawsuit. Missing this deadline typically eliminates your right to sue. Consult a pedestrian accident attorney immediately.
Does comparative fault apply to pedestrian accident cases in California?
Yes. Even if you were crossing mid-block, crossing against a signal, or otherwise violating a traffic rule, you may still recover compensation under California’s pure comparative negligence rule. Your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault — but not eliminated. Insurance companies routinely overstate pedestrian fault. An experienced attorney can challenge unsupported fault attributions and protect your full recovery.
Injured in a Pedestrian Accident in Los Angeles? Call Steven M. Sweat.
If you or a family member has been struck by a vehicle anywhere in Los Angeles or Southern California, you have legal rights — and the clock starts immediately. Steven M. Sweat, Personal Injury Lawyers, APC has represented pedestrian accident victims for over 30 years, recovering compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and in wrongful death cases, for the full scope of a family’s loss.
We handle pedestrian accident cases on a strict contingency fee basis — no fee unless we recover compensation for you. For an overview of your rights and the legal process, see our Los Angeles Pedestrian Accident Lawyers practice page.
| Free Consultation: 866-966-5240 | victimslawyer.com | Se Habla Español Available 24/7 | 11500 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 400, Los Angeles, CA 90064 |
Data Sources and Methodology
All statistics are attributed to their original source. This report is updated annually each June using the most recently available full-year LAPD and CHP/SWITRS data.
- Los Angeles Police Department Traffic Collision Records (via LAist review of LAPD data, February 2026; Crosstown LA analysis)
- California Highway Patrol Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), 2025
- Los Angeles Department of Transportation Vision Zero Program data and High Injury Network analysis; LADOT Safety Study 2024-2025
- City of Los Angeles Office of the City Administrative Officer Vision Zero investment data
- Streets Are For Everyone (SAFE) annual traffic fatality reports (2021-2024)
- NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS)
- Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), Pedestrian Traffic Fatalities by State: 2024 Preliminary Data
- California Office of Traffic Safety (CA OTS) pedestrian safety program data
- U.S. Department of Transportation / Federal Highway Administration LA High Injury Network documentation
Author: Steven M. Sweat, California State Bar #181867 | First published: May 2026 | Annual update: each June | Informational purposes only; does not constitute legal advice.