Alta, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Alta: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Alta and Placer County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Placer County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Placer County compares with California
Placer County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Placer County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Placer County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 33.8 | 33.2 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 25% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.39 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 11% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.7% | 1.6% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 10.5% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 11.3× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 19.0% | 23.5% | 23.7% | 19% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 20.6% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 3.2× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.5% | 40.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 26.5% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 9% below the state |
Placer County sits below California on deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and morning rush (6–10 am). Where it is higher: on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
The headline for Placer County: 10.5% share of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (California: 0.9%).
Overview
Police reported 1,682 crashes involving commercial trucks in Placer County since 2015: 662 people were injured and 44 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 2 days.
Alta had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Placer County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is March with 10.2% of truck crashes; the quietest is February at 6.7%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 41.5% of truck crashes, vs 40.2% for California.
By time of day, 1–2 pm stands out with 7.8% of truck crashes.
10.5% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.9% across California.
Where crashes happen
I-80 leads within 10 miles of Alta with 6 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: SR-20 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
30 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.8% share (California: 1.6%).
Their busiest month is November, with 20% of garbage-truck crashes.
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 0.0, vs 2.7 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Alta fleets
- Plan March schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Placer County.
- Where you can, review stops along I-80; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in November; review collection routes for that month.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 10.5% of truck crashes here, more than California; schedule winter checks early.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Placer County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 6 |
| SR-20 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Placer County) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 13 |
| Rt80/287Ft E Old Nyack Rd | 5 |
| Rt80 Wb/1.2M E Carpenter Flat Rd | 5 |
| Rt 80/1.8Mi W Of Blue Canyon Rd | 5 |
| Rt80/.09M W Cape Horn Rd | 4 |
| Sierra College Blvd | 3 |
| Rt80/3005Ft E Of Ridge Rd | 3 |
| Rt80/246Ft W Of Donner Pass Rd | 3 |
Alta at a glance
| Land area | 2.4 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 95701) | $98,125 |
| Median home value (ZIP 95701) | $512,422 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Placer 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 | — | — | 2.0 |
| 2000s | 86 | — | 2.6 |
| 2010s | 112 | +31% | 1.6 |
| 2020s | 161 | +44% | 4.0 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 86 a year in the 2000s and 161 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 2.2 a year in 2016–19, 4.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Alta
How many truck crashes happen in Alta?
Placer County has had 1,682 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 662 people and killing 44.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Alta?
I-80 had 6 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Alta since 2015, more than any other road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Alta?
The worst month is March: 10.2% of truck crashes in Placer County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Alta?
Since 2015, Placer County has reported 30 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.8% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Alta compare with California?
The yearly rate is 33.8 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Placer County, vs 33.2 for California.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Alta?
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.