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Safety on the Ortega

Ortega Highway is narrow, winding and busy. Here's what the crash data shows and how to get home safely.

In an emergency, call 911. To report a crash or hazard that isn't an emergency, check the CHP incident log to see if it's already known.

What the crash data shows

Crash counts depend on how many people use a road, so they don't measure risk on their own. With that caveat, two recent analyses of California crash records stand out:

  • A 2026 analysis of CHP crash data published by a California law firm counted 11 motorcyclist deaths and 30 fatal-or-serious-injury crashes on the 21-mile Riverside County section of Ortega Highway from 2019 to 2023, about 0.52 deaths per mile, the highest per-mile rate among the scenic mountain roads it compared (Bana Law).
  • SafeStreetsMap counted 143 motorcycle crashes reported along 51 mapped miles of SR-74 from 2021 to 2025; 45 killed or seriously injured someone and 22 were fatal. Half involved no other vehicle, and outside city limits most crashes away from intersections were in tight bends, which make up about a quarter of the road (SafeStreetsMap). Its 51 miles include more of SR-74 than the canyon section.

To look up crashes yourself, use UC Berkeley's Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS), which maps California's official crash records.

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Safety tips

From the California Highway Patrol:

  • Watch your speed. A motorcycle collision is highly likely to cause injury or death.
  • Riders: assume people in cars don't see you, and stay out of other vehicles' blind spots, especially big trucks.
  • Wear a helmet and protective gear, and never ride or drive impaired by alcohol, drugs or fatigue.
  • Check mirrors and blind spots, signal before changing lanes, and share the road.

Sources: CHP: California Motorcyclist Safety

SafeStreetsMap also flags heavy commuter and truck traffic, impatient passing on double yellows and few safe pull-outs as things to watch for on this road (SafeStreetsMap).

Motorcycle training

The CHP runs the California Motorcyclist Safety Program. Its Motorcyclist Training Course is 15 hours (5 in the classroom and 10 riding), is mandatory for riders under 21, and earns a DMV riding-skills test waiver.

Before you go

Check whether the highway is open, the weather and any fire closures, and read our route guide for riders.