Santa Barbara, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Santa Barbara: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Santa Barbara 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: US-101 6 fatal truck crashes since 2015, more than any other road within 10 miles of Santa Barbara.
Overview
Police reported 1,199 crashes involving commercial trucks in Santa Barbara County since 2015: 461 people were injured and 47 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 3 days.
Only 135 truck crashes were reported in Santa Barbara since 2015; patterns below come from Santa Barbara County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in October (10.4% of the year) and are lowest in January (7.0%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 37.4% of truck crashes, against 40.2% across California.
More truck crashes happen at 7–8 am than at any other hour (7.9%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 0.5% of truck crashes, compared with 0.9% in California.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Santa Barbara is US-101, with 6 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by State St (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 29 of the truck crashes here, or 2.4%, compared with 1.6% in California.
Their busiest month is January, with 17% of garbage-truck crashes.
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 0.0 deaths compared with 4.1 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Santa Barbara fleets
- Build extra time into October routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Check whether your routes use US-101, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at January schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 27.5% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above California; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- 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 Santa Barbara County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-101 | 6 |
| State St | 1 |
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 |
Santa Barbara at a glance
| Population | 87,291 |
| Land area | 19.5 sq mi |
| Density | 4,479 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 93109) | $123,347 |
| Median home value (ZIP 93109) | $1,867,768 |
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 |
In the 2000s about 70 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 106. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 3.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Santa Barbara
How many truck accidents are there in Santa Barbara?
Since 2015, 1,199 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Santa Barbara County (461 injured, 47 killed).
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Santa Barbara?
US-101 had 6 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Santa Barbara since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Santa Barbara?
The worst month is October: 10.4% of truck crashes in Santa Barbara County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Santa Barbara?
Since 2015, Santa Barbara County has reported 29 garbage-truck crashes, or 2.4% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Santa Barbara compared with California?
Santa Barbara County records 23.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 33.2 across California.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Santa Barbara?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.