Walnut Creek, California is a city in Contra Costa County California with a population of only 69,122. Even though it’s located near major metropolitan areas like Oakland and San Francisco, Walnut Creek is relatively small. However, for a small city, there are still a lot of accidents that happen every day in the city.

According to the Transportation Injury Mapping System provided by UC Berkeley, there were 343 total collisions in 2016 alone and 3,993 total accidents in Contra Costa County. This indicates that Walnut Creek had over 8.5% of all accidents in Contra Costa County in 2016.

When we break down the data we find that these accidents resulted in:

  • One fatality
  • Five severe injuries
  • One hundred and four visible injuries
  • Two hundred and thirty-two complaints of pain after the accident

Severity of collisions in Walnut Creek

The Most Common Types of Collisions in Walnut Creek

Walnut Creek had an interesting spread of the type of crashes seen. The most common type of accident by far was Rear End accidents followed by Broadside and Sideswipe accidents. Below is the breakdown.

Type of Collision
Count
%
A – Head-On 9 2.62%
B – Sideswipe 36 10.50%
C – Rear End 142 41.40%
D – Broadside 80 23.32%
E – Hit Object 35 10.20%
F – Overturned 3 0.87%
G – Vehicle/Pedestrian 27 7.87%
H – Other 5 1.46%
– – Not Stated 6 1.75%

Take note of the high percentage (7.87%) of vehicle and pedestrian accidents. This is where a car hit a pedestrian that was not in another vehicle. While many of these incidents are likely tied to distracted driving it’s clear that there is a pedestrian accident problem in Walnut Creek.

The Most Dangerous Times for Accidents

Can you guess the most dangerous day of week and time of the accidents that happen Walnut Creek?

The most dangerous time to be on the roads in Walnut Creek is Friday between 3PM and 6PM according to the TIMS data.

Most Dangerous Times to be on the road

What are the causes of the most dangerous accidents in Walnut Creek?

Only 5.25% of the accidents in Walnut Creek involved driving under the influence including DUI’s. The clear majority winner in terms of what causes the most accidents was driving at unsafe speeds. Interestingly enough, Walnut Creek roads raised their speed limits in 2007.

Type of Violation
Number
%
01 – Driving or Bicycling Under the Influence of Alcohol or Drug 18 5.25%
02 – Impeding Traffic 1 0.29%
03 – Unsafe Speed 114 33.24%
04 – Following Too Closely 6 1.75%
05 – Wrong Side of Road 9 2.62%
06 – Improper Passing 2 0.58%
07 – Unsafe Lane Change 27 7.87%
08 – Improper Turning 35 10.20%
09 – Automobile Right of Way 46 13.41%
10 – Pedestrian Right of Way 12 3.50%
11 – Pedestrian Violation 6 1.75%
12 – Traffic Signals and Signs 16 4.66%
17 – Other Hazardous Violation 5 1.46%
18 – Other Than Driver (or Pedestrian) 7 2.04%
21 – Unsafe Starting or Backing 13 3.79%
22 – Other Improper Driving 8 2.33%
00 – Unknown 17 4.96%
– – Not Stated 1 0.29%