Vandenberg AFB, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Vandenberg AFB: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Vandenberg AFB 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 |
Compared with California, Santa Barbara County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
Santa Barbara County at a glance: 1 in 41 crashes involve a garbage truck (29 since 2015), vs 1.6% across California.
Overview
Since 2015, 1,199 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Santa Barbara County. They injured 461 people and killed 47.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 3 days.
With 0 truck crashes reported in Vandenberg AFB since 2015, this page uses Santa Barbara County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
October has the most truck crashes, 10.4% of the yearly total, while January has the fewest (7.0%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 37.4% of truck crashes, against 40.2% across California.
The busiest hour is 7–8 am, with 7.9% of truck crashes.
0.5% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.9% across California.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Vandenberg AFB since 2015: SR-246 (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
29 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.4% share (California: 1.6%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in January (17% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 0.0 deaths compared with 4.1 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Vandenberg AFB fleets
- Review driver schedules for October, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: January is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Santa Barbara County.
- 27.5% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above California; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Santa Barbara County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-246 | 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 |
Vandenberg AFB at a glance
| Land area | 22.4 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 93437) | $84,167 |
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. 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 Vandenberg AFB
How many truck accidents are there in Vandenberg AFB?
Santa Barbara County has had 1,199 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 461 people and killing 47.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Vandenberg AFB?
Truck crashes in Santa Barbara County peak in October, with 10.4% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Vandenberg AFB?
Since 2015, Santa Barbara County has reported 29 garbage-truck crashes, or 2.4% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Vandenberg AFB compare 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 Vandenberg AFB?
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.