Boulder Creek, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Boulder Creek: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Boulder Creek and Santa Cruz County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Santa Cruz County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
4.5 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.3 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Santa Cruz County compares with California
Santa Cruz County against California and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Santa Cruz County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Santa Cruz County | California | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 17.0 | 33.2 | 49.7 | 49% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 8% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.34 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 23% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.5% | 1.6% | 2.3% | 2.7× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.2% | 0.9% | 6.2% | 78% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.9% | 23.5% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 8.3% | 6.5% | 13.8% | 1.3× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 39.3% | 40.2% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 17.1% | 29.1% | 24.8% | 41% below the state |
Santa Cruz County has lower values than California for crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. Where it is higher: garbage-truck share, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow.
The headline for Santa Cruz County: 1 in 22 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 4.5%, vs 1.6% in California.
Overview
Since 2015, 513 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Santa Cruz County. They injured 175 people and killed 16.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 8 days.
Boulder Creek had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Santa Cruz County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in September (10.1% of the year) and are lowest in November (6.8%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 39.3% of truck crashes, against 40.2% across California.
More truck crashes happen at 12–1 pm than at any other hour (8.4%).
0.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.9% across California.
Where crashes happen
SR-17 leads within 10 miles of Boulder Creek with 3 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. Next come Larkspur St (1), Montevina Rd (1) and SR-1 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 22 crashes, 4.3% of the total, against 1.6% across California.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in April (18%).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 4.5, vs 3.3 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Boulder Creek fleets
- Review driver schedules for September, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check whether your routes use SR-17, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Waste haulers: April is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Santa Cruz County.
- Morning starts matter: 28.9% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than California.
- 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 Cruz County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-17 | 3 |
| Larkspur St | 1 |
| Montevina Rd | 1 |
| SR-1 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Santa Cruz County) |
|---|---|
| Sr-1 S/B | 8 |
| Sr-1 N/B | 4 |
| Sr-17 S/B | 3 |
| SR-129 | 3 |
| Rt129/1.3M W Old Chittenden Rd | 3 |
| Freedom Blvd | 3 |
| Alba Rd/.13Mi W Of Rt19 | 2 |
| Main St/Green Valley Rd | 2 |
Boulder Creek at a glance
| Land area | 7.5 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 95007) | $91,352 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Santa Cruz 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 | — | — | 1.1 |
| 2000s | 41 | — | 1.7 |
| 2010s | 43 | +4% | 1.3 |
| 2020s | 42 | -1% | 1.4 |
From the 2000s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 41 to 42. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 1.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Boulder Creek
How many truck accidents are there in Boulder Creek?
Santa Cruz County has had 513 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 175 people and killing 16.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Boulder Creek?
Since 2015, SR-17 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Boulder Creek: 3.
When do most truck crashes happen in Boulder Creek?
Truck crashes in Santa Cruz County peak in September, with 10.1% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Boulder Creek?
Garbage trucks were involved in 22 reported crashes in Santa Cruz County since 2015 (4.3% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Boulder Creek compare with California?
Per 100,000 residents, Santa Cruz County has 17.0 truck crashes a year; California has 33.2.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Boulder Creek?
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.