Old River, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Old River: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Old River and Kern County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Kern County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
9.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 5.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Kern County compares with California
Kern County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Kern County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Kern County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 68.6 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 2.1× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 1.6× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.47 | 0.44 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.0% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 41% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.9% | 0.9% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 20.6% | 23.5% | 23.7% | 12% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 5.1% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 21% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 39.3% | 40.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 34.6% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Compared with California, Kern County is lower on garbage-truck share, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and after dark.
The headline for Kern County: December garbage-truck crashes peak in December (17% of the year's total).
Overview
Since 2015, 7,248 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Kern County. They injured 3,414 people and killed 403.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 2 truck crashes every day.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Old River since 2015; patterns below come from Kern County as a whole.
When crashes happen
August has the most truck crashes, 9.4% of the yearly total, while February has the fewest (7.1%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 39.3% of truck crashes, against 40.2% across California.
By time of day, 3–4 pm stands out with 6.5% of truck crashes.
0.9% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.9% across California.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, SR-99 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (20). Next come SR-119 (6), SR-58 (6) and I-5 (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
69 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.0% share (California: 1.6%).
Their busiest month is December, with 17% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 9.0, vs 5.7 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Old River fleets
- Plan August schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Kern County.
- Where you can, review stops along SR-99; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Waste haulers: December is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Kern County.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Kern County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-99 | 20 |
| SR-119 | 6 |
| SR-58 | 6 |
| I-5 | 3 |
| Old River Rd | 3 |
| California Ave | 2 |
| Chester Ave | 2 |
| Panama Ln | 2 |
| SR-223 | 2 |
| SR-43 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Kern County) |
|---|---|
| Sr-99 N/B | 31 |
| Sr-58 W/B | 23 |
| I-5 | 22 |
| Sr-58 E/B | 21 |
| SR-58 | 20 |
| Sr-99 S/B | 17 |
| SR-99 | 17 |
| SR-223 | 11 |
Old River at a glance
| Land area | 1.0 sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Kern 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 | 5 | — | 23.6 |
| 2000s | 398 | +7854% | 20.5 |
| 2010s | 543 | +37% | 21.7 |
| 2020s | 659 | +21% | 28.2 |
In the 1990s about 5 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 659. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 25.0 a year in 2016–19 and 28.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Old River
How common are truck crashes in Old River?
Since 2015, 7,248 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Kern County (3,414 injured, 403 killed).
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Old River?
Since 2015, SR-99 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Old River: 20.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Old River?
The worst month is August: 9.4% of truck crashes in Kern County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Old River?
69 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Kern County since 2015, 1.0% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Old River compare with California?
Kern County records 68.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 33.2 across California.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Old River?
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.