Cotter, AR truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Cotter: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Cotter and Baxter County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Baxter County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
10 of 168 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Baxter County compares with Arkansas
Baxter County against Arkansas and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Baxter County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Baxter County | Arkansas | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 33.0 | 92.4 | 49.7 | 64% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 0.6 | 3.9 | 3.4 | 85% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.49 | 0.45 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 6.4% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 4.0× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 1.3% | 3.3% | 6.2% | 61% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.8% | 22.9% | 23.7% | 1.3× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 7.0% | 15.4% | 13.8% | 54% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 36.5% | 40.9% | 41.9% | 11% below the state |
| After dark | 8.3% | 22.4% | 24.8% | 63% below the state |
Compared with Arkansas, Baxter County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
Baxter County at a glance: 1 in 16 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 6.4%, vs 1.6% in Arkansas.
Overview
Since 2015, 168 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Baxter County. They injured 78 people and killed 1.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 26 days.
Cotter had 2 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Baxter County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is May with 13.1% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 1.8%.
November through March accounts for 36.5% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.9% in Arkansas.
The busiest hour is 7–8 am, with 10.7% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 1.3% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Arkansas: 3.3%).
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Cotter since 2015 were spread across roads: US-62 (2) and SR-5 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 10 of the truck crashes here, or 6.0%, compared with 1.6% in Arkansas.
Route planning tips for Cotter fleets
- Review driver schedules for May, the month with the most truck crashes.
- The morning rush (6–10 am) holds 28.8% of truck crashes here, more than Arkansas; adjust start times where you can.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
About the data
Crash counts come from the FMCSA crash file (police-reported crashes involving trucks over 10,000 lb); fatal-crash locations come from NHTSA FARS. Text on this page states only what these numbers show.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Baxter County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-62 | 2 |
| SR-5 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Baxter County) |
|---|---|
| US-62 | 32 |
| Sh5 | 22 |
| US-62E | 19 |
| Sh5N | 11 |
| US-62W | 9 |
| Sh126 | 6 |
| Sh5S | 5 |
| Sh177 | 5 |
Cotter at a glance
| Population | 948 |
| Land area | 2.4 sq mi |
| Density | 387 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 72626) | $36,417 |
| Median home value (ZIP 72626) | $236,028 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Baxter County since the 1990s
Combines the FMCSA crash file (all reported truck crashes, real coverage from about 1990) with NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes involving a large truck, 1982–2024).
| Decade | Truck crashes / yr | Change | Fatal crashes / yr (FARS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 | — | 0.5 |
| 2000s | 8 | +27% | 0.7 |
| 2010s | 12 | +49% | 0.2 |
| 2020s | 16 | +26% | 0.6 |
In the 1990s about 7 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 16. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.0 a year in 2016–19, 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Cotter
How common are truck crashes in Cotter?
Baxter County has had 168 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 78 people and killing 1.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Cotter?
May has the most truck crashes in Baxter County, 13.1% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Cotter?
10 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Baxter County since 2015, 6.0% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Cotter compare with Arkansas?
Per 100,000 residents, Baxter County has 33.0 truck crashes a year; Arkansas has 92.4.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Cotter?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.