Buellton, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Buellton: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Buellton and Santa Barbara County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Santa Barbara 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 4.1 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Santa Barbara County compares with California
Santa Barbara County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Santa Barbara County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Santa Barbara County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 23.6 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 29% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 1.1× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.38 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 14% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.4% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 1.5× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.5% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 44% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 27.5% | 23.5% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 5.5% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 15% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 37.4% | 40.2% | 41.9% | 7% below the state |
| After dark | 23.8% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 18% below the state |
Santa Barbara County has lower values than California for crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
The headline for Santa Barbara County: 1 in 41 crashes involve a garbage truck (29 since 2015), vs 1.6% across California.
Overview
Santa Barbara County has recorded 1,199 truck crashes since 2015, with 461 people injured and 47 killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 3 days.
With 10 truck crashes reported in Buellton since 2015, this page uses Santa Barbara County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
The worst month is October with 10.4% of truck crashes; the quietest is January at 7.0%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 37.4% of truck crashes, against 40.2% across California.
By time of day, 7–8 am stands out with 7.9% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 0.5% of truck crashes, compared with 0.9% in California.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Buellton happened on US-101 (3); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 29 of the truck crashes here, or 2.4%, compared with 1.6% in California.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in January (17%).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 0.0, vs 4.1 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Buellton fleets
- Review driver schedules for October, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in January; review collection routes for that month.
- Morning starts matter: 27.5% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than California.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
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 Santa Barbara County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-101 | 3 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Santa Barbara County) |
|---|---|
| US-101 | 18 |
| Us-101 N/B | 8 |
| Rt166/.37M E Alisos Canyon Rd | 5 |
| Sr1/.2M S California Bl | 3 |
| Rt154/Rt246 | 3 |
| Rt101/.2M N El Capitan State Beach Rd | 3 |
| Rt101 Nb O/R/70Ft S Nicholson Av | 3 |
| Rt1/2865Ft S Rt246 | 3 |
Buellton at a glance
| Population | 5,023 |
| Land area | 1.6 sq mi |
| Density | 3,175 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 93427) | $102,857 |
| Median home value (ZIP 93427) | $868,021 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Santa Barbara 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 | — | — | 1.8 |
| 2000s | 70 | — | 3.7 |
| 2010s | 95 | +36% | 3.3 |
| 2020s | 106 | +12% | 2.6 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 70 a year in the 2000s and 106 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal large-truck crashes: 3.2 a year in 2016–19, 2.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Buellton
How many truck crashes happen in Buellton?
1,199 truck crashes have been reported in Santa Barbara County since 2015, with 47 deaths and 461 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Buellton?
October has the most truck crashes in Santa Barbara County, 10.4% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Buellton?
Garbage trucks were involved in 29 reported crashes in Santa Barbara County since 2015 (2.4% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Buellton compared with California?
The yearly rate is 23.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Santa Barbara County, vs 33.2 for California.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Buellton?
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.