Taft Heights, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Taft Heights: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Taft 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 has lower values than California for 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.
The headline for Kern County: December more garbage-truck crashes happen in December than in any other month (17%).
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.
Taft 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
Truck crashes peak in August (9.4% of the year) and are lowest in February (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
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Taft Heights since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-119 (2), SR-33 (2) and SR-166 (1).
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.
They recorded 9.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 5.7 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Taft Heights fleets
- Build extra time into August routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in December; review collection routes for that month.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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-119 | 2 |
| SR-33 | 2 |
| SR-166 | 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 |
Taft Heights at a glance
| Land area | 0.3 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 93268) | $57,778 |
| Median home value (ZIP 93268) | $236,684 |
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 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 5 a year in the 1990s and 659 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. 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 Taft Heights
How many truck crashes happen in Taft Heights?
7,248 truck crashes have been reported in Kern County since 2015, with 403 deaths and 3,414 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Taft Heights?
August has the most truck crashes in Kern County, 9.4% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Taft Heights?
69 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Kern County since 2015, 1.0% of all truck crashes.
How does Taft Heights compare with California for truck crashes?
Kern County records 68.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 33.2 across California.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Taft 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.