Big Bear Lake, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Big Bear Lake: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Big Bear Lake and San Bernardino County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use San Bernardino County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2.8 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.7 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How San Bernardino County compares with California
San Bernardino County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where San Bernardino County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | San Bernardino County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 66.4 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 2.0× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.42 | 0.44 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.9% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 47% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.6% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 39% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 19.9% | 23.5% | 23.7% | 15% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 5.4% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 17% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 41.2% | 40.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 36.8% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 1.3× the state |
San Bernardino County has lower values than California for 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 San Bernardino County: 1 in 115 garbage-truck share of crashes is 0.9%, against 1.6% for California.
Overview
Police reported 16,987 crashes involving commercial trucks in San Bernardino County since 2015: 7,216 people were injured and 617 were killed.
That averages about 4 truck crashes a day in fully reported years.
Big Bear Lake had 6 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use San Bernardino County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is August with 9.1% of truck crashes; the quietest is November at 7.8%.
November through March accounts for 41.2% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.2% in California.
By time of day, 2–3 pm stands out with 5.4% of truck crashes.
0.6% 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 Big Bear Lake since 2015 were spread across roads: SR-18 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
145 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 0.9% share (California: 1.6%).
Their busiest month is April, with 12% of garbage-truck crashes.
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 2.8 deaths compared with 3.7 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Big Bear Lake fleets
- Review driver schedules for August, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in April; review collection routes for that month.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 San Bernardino County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-18 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (San Bernardino County) |
|---|---|
| I-15 | 67 |
| I-40 | 35 |
| I-10 W/B (San Bernardino Fwy) | 29 |
| I-10 E/B (San Bernardino Fwy) | 27 |
| Sr-60 E/B (Pomona Fwy) | 19 |
| I-10 | 16 |
| US-395 | 14 |
| I-15 N/B (Ontario Fwy) | 14 |
Big Bear Lake at a glance
| Population | 5,044 |
| Land area | 6.3 sq mi |
| Density | 807 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 92315) | $77,436 |
| Median home value (ZIP 92315) | $593,949 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in San Bernardino 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 | 6 | — | 32.0 |
| 2000s | 850 | +14065% | 34.8 |
| 2010s | 1,161 | +37% | 30.6 |
| 2020s | 1,571 | +35% | 43.4 |
In the 1990s about 6 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 1,571. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 35.8 a year in 2016–19 and 43.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Big Bear Lake
How many truck accidents are there in Big Bear Lake?
16,987 truck crashes have been reported in San Bernardino County since 2015, with 617 deaths and 7,216 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Big Bear Lake?
Truck crashes in San Bernardino County peak in August, with 9.1% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Big Bear Lake?
Since 2015, San Bernardino County has reported 145 garbage-truck crashes, or 0.9% of its truck crashes.
How does Big Bear Lake compare with California for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 66.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in San Bernardino County, vs 33.2 for California.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Big Bear Lake?
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.