Smith Corner, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Smith Corner: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Smith Corner 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. It runs above California on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and after dark.
What stands out in Kern County: December is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes: 17% of them.
Overview
Police reported 7,248 crashes involving commercial trucks in Kern County since 2015: 3,414 people were injured and 403 were killed.
That averages about 2 truck crashes a day in fully reported years.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Smith Corner 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%).
November through March accounts for 39.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.2% in California.
The busiest hour is 3–4 pm, with 6.5% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 0.9% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (California: 0.9%).
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Smith Corner is SR-58, with 5 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. After it: I-5 (4), 7th Standard Rd (3) and SR-46 (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
69 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.0% share (California: 1.6%).
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in December (17%).
They recorded 9.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 5.7 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Smith Corner fleets
- Review driver schedules for August, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check whether your routes use SR-58, 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
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 Kern County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-58 | 5 |
| I-5 | 4 |
| 7th Standard Rd | 3 |
| SR-46 | 3 |
| SR-99 | 3 |
| Magnolia Ave | 2 |
| CR-46 | 1 |
| CR-7TH Standard Rd | 1 |
| Kimberlina Rd | 1 |
| N Central Ave | 1 |
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 |
Smith Corner at a glance
| Land area | 0.2 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 93263) | $71,528 |
| Median home value (ZIP 93263) | $321,149 |
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 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 5 to 659. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal large-truck crashes: 25.0 a year in 2016–19, 28.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Smith Corner
How common are truck crashes in Smith Corner?
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 Smith Corner?
SR-58 had 5 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Smith Corner since 2015, more than any other road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Smith Corner?
Truck crashes in Kern County peak in August, with 9.4% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Smith Corner?
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 Smith Corner compare with California?
Per 100,000 residents, Kern County has 68.6 truck crashes a year; California has 33.2.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Smith Corner?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.