Planada, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Planada: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Planada and Merced County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Merced County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3.7 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 4.4 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Merced County compares with California
Merced County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Merced County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Merced County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 86.4 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 2.6× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.4 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 1.2× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.39 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 11% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.0% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 41% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.3% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 66% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 23.9% | 23.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 6.1% | 6.5% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 36.0% | 40.2% | 41.9% | 11% below the state |
| After dark | 31.8% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Merced County sits below California on injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and after dark.
The headline for Planada: SR-99 deadliest road: 5 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Planada since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 2,923 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Merced County. They injured 1,150 people and killed 124.
In complete reporting years that works out to about 1 truck crash a day.
Planada had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Merced County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in August (12.4% of the year) and are lowest in February (6.4%).
November through March accounts for 36.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.2% in California.
More truck crashes happen at 7–8 am than at any other hour (7.1%).
Road surface: 0.3% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (California: 0.9%).
Where crashes happen
SR-99 leads within 10 miles of Planada with 5 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. Next come SR-140 (3), SR-59 (2) and CR-MINTURN Road (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 27 crashes, 0.9% of the total, against 1.6% across California.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in March (19%).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 3.7 deaths compared with 4.4 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Planada fleets
- Review driver schedules for August, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to SR-99 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: March is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Merced County.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Merced County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-99 | 5 |
| SR-140 | 3 |
| SR-59 | 2 |
| CR-MINTURN Road | 1 |
| E Childs Ave | 1 |
| G St | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Merced County) |
|---|---|
| Sr-99 S/B | 23 |
| I-5 | 18 |
| SR-165 | 13 |
| Sr-99 N/B | 12 |
| Rt152/Volta Rd | 8 |
| SR-152 | 7 |
| Sr-152 W/B | 7 |
| SR-59 | 6 |
Planada at a glance
| Land area | 1.7 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 95365) | $39,741 |
| Median home value (ZIP 95365) | $259,467 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Merced 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 | 2 | — | 7.2 |
| 2000s | 142 | +7025% | 8.8 |
| 2010s | 198 | +39% | 6.6 |
| 2020s | 268 | +36% | 9.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 2 a year in the 1990s and 268 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 8.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 9.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Planada
How many truck accidents are there in Planada?
Merced County has had 2,923 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 1,150 people and killing 124.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Planada?
NHTSA data shows SR-99 with 5 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Planada since 2015, the highest of any road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Planada?
Truck crashes in Merced County peak in August, with 12.4% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Planada?
Garbage trucks were involved in 27 reported crashes in Merced County since 2015 (0.9% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Planada compare with California?
The yearly rate is 86.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Merced County, vs 33.2 for California.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Planada?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.