Santa Ynez, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Santa Ynez: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Santa Ynez 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 sits below California on crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above California on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
What stands out in Santa Barbara County: 1 in 41 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 2.4%, vs 1.6% in California.
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.
Santa Ynez had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Santa Barbara County numbers.
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%).
Road surface: 0.5% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (California: 0.9%).
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Santa Ynez since 2015: US-101 (2). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
29 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.4% share (California: 1.6%).
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in January (17%).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 0.0 deaths compared with 4.1 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Santa Ynez fleets
- Plan October schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Santa Barbara County.
- Waste haulers: January is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Santa Barbara County.
- Morning starts matter: 27.5% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than California.
- 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 Santa Barbara County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-101 | 2 |
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 Ynez at a glance
| Land area | 4.8 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 93463) | $118,488 |
| Median home value (ZIP 93463) | $1,124,093 |
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. Fatal large-truck crashes: 3.2 a year in 2016–19, 2.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Santa Ynez
How many truck crashes happen in Santa Ynez?
1,199 truck crashes have been reported in Santa Barbara County since 2015, with 47 deaths and 461 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Santa Ynez?
October has the most truck crashes in Santa Barbara County, 10.4% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Santa Ynez?
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 Santa Ynez 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 can I plan a safer truck route in Santa Ynez?
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.