Local motorists already know how busy the most popular routes through Modesto can get.
There are frequent traffic jams on Yosemite Boulevard/Hwy 132 and McHenry Avenue. Local traffic and Central Valley travelers from everywhere else all merge onto Highway 99 to make it a nightmare for drivers.
To get a sense of the scope of Modesto traffic dangers, it’s helpful to go back a few years and look at where accident numbers have been and where they are currently.
Maison Law commissioned an updated study of several key traffic dangers and how often they are placing Modesto drivers at risk.
Modesto Traffic Accident Hazards
Modesto has a population of over 200,000 people, and for a city that size, it has more than its fair share of traffic accidents.
The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) recently ranked Modesto the second most dangerous city in the state for traffic accidents among cities of similar size. This was based on the number of injuries and fatalities recorded in vehicle collisions.
The OTS also ranked Modesto highly on a few other negative lists:
- 2nd most dangerous California city in this category for accidents occurring at night.
- 5th for hit-and-run accidents.
California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) helps monitor the number of traffic accidents across the state each year. With help from the California Highway Patrol, they keep a running account of traffic collisions across Stanislaus County.
Modesto has averaged around 1,391 accidents involving injury a year over a recent 5-year period (2021-2025).
In the worst accidents in and around Modesto, lives can be lost, and families devastated.
Modesto roads averaged around 19 fatalities a year between 2021 and 2025.
California and National Fatal Car Accident Numbers
Modesto’s fall in roadway fatalities was reflected in accident numbers nationally. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that 36,640 people lost their lives on U.S. roads in 2025, which is a 6.7 percent drop from 2024 figures.
California’s annual roadway fatality rates also dropped in 2025. Over the year, 2,412 people lost their lives on state roads. That was down from 2024 figures, when 3,839 people were tragically killed. These figures come from the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS).
Dangerous Roadways for Motorists in Modesto
Commuters and those out running errands probably already try to avoid some of the busiest intersections and stretches of highway across Modesto. It’s not always possible to miss these major crossroads and the clueless drivers who make them so dangerous.
With a glance at Modesto accident hotspots in 2025, the intersections highlighted below stood out as some of the most frequent places for crashes.
According to SWITRS and the Geographic Information System (GIS), Briggsmore Road’s intersection with Orangeburg Avenue stood out as one of the most dangerous places in the city. It saw 16 accidents in 2025, leaving at least 20 victims hurt. The area is made even more hazardous by traffic flowing in from Evergreen Avenue and Sisk Road.
This is a chart detailing the three local crossroads that SWITRS determined to be the most common intersections for accidents in 2025:
Highway 99 takes people up and down the Central Valley, but that convenience comes at a cost to driver safety. It’s well known as one of the most dangerous highways in all of California.
The stretch that passes along Modesto’s western edge sees a constant stream of swaying big rigs, packs of speeding cars, and distracted drivers. The TIMS data for Highway 99 accidents between 2024 and 2025 shows that it’s always going to be the most dangerous stretch of road through Modesto. The section of Highway 99 through Stanislaus County recorded 511 accidents involving injury in 2024 and 2025. Those accidents led to at least 7 heartbreaking fatalities over the two years.
DUI Accidents in Modesto
When compared to other California cities and with the population factored in, Modesto, sadly, gets ranked 2nd for its number of alcohol-involved accidents. This is another poor score from California’s OTS.
When drivers get behind the wheel while impaired, they put every other motorist traveling through Modesto at risk. DUI arrests often come after a devastating accident has occurred. This is far too late to prevent injured victims and grieving families from having to cope with a drunk driver’s terrible mistake.
This is a look at alcohol-involved accidents involving injuries in Modesto over the last five years. TIMS numbers show a slight downturn in drunk driving accidents in 2025. But the city still averages around 172 serious alcohol-involved accidents annually (2021-2025). In 2025, there were 155 accidents involving injury that were caused by a drunk driver on Modesto streets.
Safe drivers often steer clear of trouble by avoiding those on the road who are behaving recklessly. But a drunk driver’s moves can be impossible to predict. A defensive driver might get little warning that an impaired driver is nearby and on a collision course.
Drunk driving accidents often have more severe consequences because impaired drivers may not have the presence of mind to hit the brakes when collisions are about to occur. This means their vehicles are traveling at full speed into an impact. The force will easily cause severe injuries for drivers and passengers and, in the worst cases, claim lives.
According to TIMS figures, Modesto averages just over 7 lost lives a year to drunk driving accidents (2021-2025).
Contact a Car Accident Lawyer Serving Modesto Victims and Their Families
A frightening accident on a Modesto roadway can leave you with a serious injury that keeps you from working and enjoying things you once loved. The at-fault driver’s insurer should be covering all recovery costs, but sometimes insurers focus on avoiding blame instead of providing a helping hand.
A lawyer’s help is sometimes necessary to keep the blame on the right driver. A Maison Law attorney can also often earn you additional support to cover your recovery costs. This is usually much more than you could earn by taking on a giant insurance company on your own.
Contact a Modesto Car Accident Lawyer to set up a free case consultation after suffering a serious injury in an accident. It’s a no-risk way to determine what your injury is worth and what you should be demanding from an insurance company.
There’s no obligation for the free case review, but if you need our help to earn more, you don’t have to find the money to pay a lawyer. You don’t pay us unless we win your case for you. Then, if we do win, our fee is paid out of the settlement check an insurer must send you.
