Ridgecrest Heights, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Ridgecrest Heights: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Ridgecrest Heights 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 |
Kern County sits below California on garbage-truck share, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and after dark.
The headline for Kern County: December more garbage-truck crashes happen in December than in any other month (17%).
Overview
Police reported 7,248 crashes involving commercial trucks in Kern County since 2015: 3,414 people were injured and 403 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 2 truck crashes every day.
Ridgecrest Heights had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Kern County numbers.
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.
The busiest hour is 3–4 pm, with 6.5% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 0.9% of truck crashes, compared with 0.9% in California.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, US-395 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (4). After it: SR-178 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 69 of the truck crashes here, or 1.0%, compared with 1.6% in California.
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 Ridgecrest Heights fleets
- Plan August schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Kern County.
- Check whether your routes use US-395, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at December schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
About the data
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
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) |
|---|---|
| US-395 | 4 |
| SR-178 | 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 |
Ridgecrest Heights at a glance
| Land area | 0.6 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 93555) | $86,700 |
| Median home value (ZIP 93555) | $248,160 |
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. NHTSA counts 25.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 28.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Ridgecrest Heights
How many truck accidents are there in Ridgecrest Heights?
Since 2015, 7,248 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Kern County (3,414 injured, 403 killed).
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Ridgecrest Heights?
US-395 had 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Ridgecrest Heights since 2015, more than any other road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Ridgecrest Heights?
August has the most truck crashes in Kern County, 9.4% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Ridgecrest Heights?
Since 2015, Kern County has reported 69 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.0% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Ridgecrest Heights compare with California?
The yearly rate is 68.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Kern County, vs 33.2 for California.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Ridgecrest Heights?
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.