During the pandemic, California authorities noted a worrying increase in traffic fatalities, even though fewer people were using the roads.

Now that more drivers are returning to the roads, there are signs that dangerous driving is continuing.

According to a new report from ConsumerAffairs, a consumer news platform, the number of deaths from car accidents in the state increased 17% from 2018 to 2022.

And California's deadliest stretches of road, the data showed, were all in Southern California.

“It's a crisis that has to be reversible,” Timothy Weisberg, a spokesman for the California Department of Highway Safety, told ConsumerAffairs. “During the pandemic, we've seen more of these dangerous driving behaviors.”

Below are the five deadliest stretches of road.

• Interstate 15 in San Bernardino County: 48 deaths in 2022, up from 33 in 2018
• Interstate 10 in Riverside County: 31 deaths in 2022, up from 25 in 2018
• Interstate 5 in San Diego County; 21 deaths in 2022, up from 19 in 2018
• Interstate 5 in Orange County: 16 deaths in 2022, up from 14 in 2018
• US 101 in Santa Barbara County: 15 deaths in 2022, up from 7 in 2018

Overall, San Bernardino County was the deadliest large county in the state, with more than 20 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2022, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Speeding was often the cause. In 2018, 26% of fatal car crashes were due to speeding. By 2022, that number rose to 31%, according to the report.

At the same time, drunk driving was involved in fewer fatal accidents: from 24% in 2018 to 13% in 2022.

The deadliest hours on the road were 6 p.m. to midnight, with 36% of fatal accidents occurring during this time in 2022.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles is struggling with rising traffic and pedestrian fatalities. In 2023, more people in the city will die in car accidents than in murders.

The statistics represent “unsustainable circumstances that threaten our community,” then-Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said at a press conference in January.

Due to the increase in dangerous driving, government agencies are also considering installing speed cameras in California cities.

A pilot program announced for 2023 will allow the cameras in six cities: Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, Long Beach and San Francisco.

Times writers Rachel Uranga and Libor Jany contributed to this report