San Clemente, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in San Clemente: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in San Clemente and Orange County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Orange County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
6.5 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.4 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Orange County compares with California
Orange County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Orange County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Orange County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 19.8 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 40% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.4 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 33% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.43 | 0.44 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.8% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 1.1× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.1% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 90% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.6% | 23.5% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 4.8% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 27% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.2% | 40.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 24.7% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 15% below the state |
Compared with California, Orange County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher garbage-truck share.
The headline for Orange County: 0.1% share of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (California: 0.9%).
Overview
Orange County has recorded 7,193 truck crashes since 2015, with 3,142 people injured and 167 killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 2 truck crashes every day.
Only 156 truck crashes were reported in San Clemente since 2015; patterns below come from Orange County as a whole.
When crashes happen
March has the most truck crashes, 9.5% of the yearly total, while December has the fewest (7.5%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 41.2% of truck crashes, vs 40.2% for California.
The busiest hour is 10–11 am, with 7.3% of truck crashes.
0.1% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.9% across California.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-5 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (14). Next come SR-74 (3), Avenida Pico (1) and Camino Capistrano (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 128 of the truck crashes here, or 1.8%, compared with 1.6% in California.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in March (14%).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 6.5 deaths compared with 2.4 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for San Clemente fleets
- Plan March schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Orange County.
- Where you can, review stops along I-5; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at March schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 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 Orange County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-5 | 14 |
| SR-74 | 3 |
| Avenida Pico | 1 |
| Camino Capistrano | 1 |
| Ortega Hwy | 1 |
| Via Callejon | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Orange County) |
|---|---|
| SR-91 | 43 |
| I-5 | 40 |
| SR-57 | 26 |
| SR-55 | 18 |
| Sr-91 W/B | 14 |
| Sr-91 E/B | 11 |
| I-405 | 9 |
| SR-241 | 8 |
San Clemente at a glance
| Population | 62,627 |
| Land area | 18.4 sq mi |
| Density | 3,412 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Orange 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 | — | 9.9 |
| 2000s | 444 | +8772% | 11.4 |
| 2010s | 627 | +41% | 10.2 |
| 2020s | 592 | -6% | 10.0 |
In the 1990s about 5 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 592. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 14.8 a year in 2016–19, 10.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about San Clemente
How common are truck crashes in San Clemente?
Since 2015, 7,193 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Orange County (3,142 injured, 167 killed).
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in San Clemente?
NHTSA data shows I-5 with 14 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of San Clemente since 2015, the highest of any road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in San Clemente?
Truck crashes in Orange County peak in March, with 9.5% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in San Clemente?
Since 2015, Orange County has reported 128 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.8% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in San Clemente compared with California?
Orange County records 19.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 33.2 across California.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in San Clemente?
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.