Palm Desert, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Palm Desert: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Palm Desert and Riverside County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Riverside 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 3.6 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Riverside County compares with California
Riverside County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Riverside County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Riverside County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 40.0 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 1.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.45 | 0.44 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.2% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 26% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.2% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 80% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 21.5% | 23.5% | 23.7% | 9% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 4.7% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 28% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.9% | 40.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 34.5% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Riverside County sits below California on garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am). It runs above California on crashes per 100k residents / yr and after dark.
What stands out in Palm Desert: I-10 most fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Palm Desert: 7 since 2015.
Overview
Riverside County has recorded 11,638 truck crashes since 2015, with 5,353 people injured and 418 killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 3 truck crashes every day.
Palm Desert had 59 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Riverside County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is August with 9.1% of truck crashes; the quietest is November at 7.7%.
November through March accounts for 40.9% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.2% in California.
The busiest hour is 2–3 pm, with 6.0% of truck crashes.
0.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.9% across California.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-10 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (7). It is followed by SR-74 (3), Indio Blvd (2) and Varner Rd (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 140 of the truck crashes here, or 1.2%, compared with 1.6% in California.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in October (14%).
They recorded 3.7 deaths per 100 crashes, against 3.6 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Palm Desert fleets
- Review driver schedules for August, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Where you can, review stops along I-10; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Waste haulers: October is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Riverside County.
- 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 Riverside County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-10 | 7 |
| SR-74 | 3 |
| Indio Blvd | 2 |
| Varner Rd | 2 |
| Ave 44 | 1 |
| Avenue 48 | 1 |
| Bob Hope Dr | 1 |
| CR-THOUSAND Palms Canyon Rd | 1 |
| Date Palm Dr | 1 |
| Dinah Shore Dr | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Riverside County) |
|---|---|
| I-10 | 58 |
| I-15 | 37 |
| Sr-60 E/B | 37 |
| Sr-60 W/B | 30 |
| Sr-91 E/B | 29 |
| I-215 | 25 |
| SR-60 | 17 |
| SR-91 | 15 |
Palm Desert at a glance
| Population | 53,147 |
| Land area | 26.8 sq mi |
| Density | 1,985 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Riverside 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 | 3 | — | 23.9 |
| 2000s | 588 | +19483% | 22.6 |
| 2010s | 739 | +26% | 19.9 |
| 2020s | 1,115 | +51% | 29.0 |
In the 1990s about 3 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 1,115. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 26.2 a year in 2016–19, 29.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Palm Desert
How common are truck crashes in Palm Desert?
Riverside County has had 11,638 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 5,353 people and killing 418.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Palm Desert?
Since 2015, I-10 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Palm Desert: 7.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Palm Desert?
The worst month is August: 9.1% of truck crashes in Riverside County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Palm Desert?
140 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Riverside County since 2015, 1.2% of all truck crashes.
How does Palm Desert compare with California for truck crashes?
Riverside County records 40.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 33.2 across California.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Palm Desert?
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.