Meridian, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Meridian: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Meridian and Colusa County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Colusa County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 393 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Colusa County compares with California
Colusa County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Colusa County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Colusa County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 157.3 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 4.7× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.5 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 1.5× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.34 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 23% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.8% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 52% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.0% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 100% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.0% | 23.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 4.2% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 36% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 31.9% | 40.2% | 41.9% | 21% below the state |
| After dark | 30.6% | 29.1% | 24.8% | same |
Colusa County has lower values than California for injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr and deaths per 100 crashes.
The headline for Colusa County: September worst month: 16.0% of truck crashes, vs 8.3% in an average month.
Overview
Colusa County has recorded 393 truck crashes since 2015, with 134 people injured and 21 killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 11 days.
Meridian had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Colusa County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is September with 16.0% of truck crashes; the quietest is January at 5.3%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 31.9% of truck crashes, against 40.2% across California.
More truck crashes happen at 7–8 am than at any other hour (8.7%).
0.0% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.9% across California.
Where crashes happen
SR-20 leads within 10 miles of Meridian with 5 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. It is followed by Butte Slough Rd (1) and CR-PASS Road (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
3 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 0.8% share (California: 1.6%).
Route planning tips for Meridian fleets
- Review driver schedules for September, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to SR-20 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Colusa County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-20 | 5 |
| Butte Slough Rd | 1 |
| CR-PASS Road | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Colusa County) |
|---|---|
| Rt5/1000Ft N Greenbay Rd | 4 |
| SR-20 | 4 |
| Rt5 Nb/1.6M N Lurline Rd O/C | 3 |
| Rt 5/Rt 20 | 3 |
| Old Hwy 99W/1M N Hahn Rd | 3 |
| Lonestar Road | 2 |
| Old Hwy 99W/Myers Rd | 2 |
| Rt20/2.1M W Walnut Dr | 2 |
Meridian at a glance
| Land area | 5.3 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 95982) | $96,224 |
| Median home value (ZIP 95982) | $415,202 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Colusa 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 | — | — | 0.8 |
| 2000s | 26 | — | 0.9 |
| 2010s | 29 | +11% | 1.4 |
| 2020s | 34 | +19% | 1.8 |
From the 2000s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 26 to 34. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.8 a year in 2016–19 and 1.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Meridian
How many truck crashes happen in Meridian?
Colusa County has had 393 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 134 people and killing 21.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Meridian?
Since 2015, SR-20 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Meridian: 5.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Meridian?
September has the most truck crashes in Colusa County, 16.0% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Meridian?
3 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Colusa County since 2015, 0.8% of all truck crashes.
How does Meridian compare with California for truck crashes?
Colusa County records 157.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 33.2 across California.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Meridian?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.