Live Oak, Santa Cruz County, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Live Oak, Santa Cruz County: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Live Oak, Santa Cruz County 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 |
Compared with California, Santa Cruz County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. It runs above California on garbage-truck share, morning rush (6–10 am) and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in 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.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Live Oak, Santa Cruz County since 2015; patterns below come from Santa Cruz County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in September (10.1% of the year) and are lowest in November (6.8%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 39.3% of truck crashes, vs 40.2% for California.
The busiest hour is 12–1 pm, with 8.4% of truck crashes.
0.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.9% across California.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Live Oak is SR-1, with 2 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. Next come CR-E Cliff Dr (1), Encinal St (1) and River St (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 22 of the truck crashes here, or 4.3%, compared with 1.6% in California.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in April (18% of them).
They recorded 4.5 deaths per 100 crashes, against 3.3 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Live Oak, Santa Cruz County fleets
- Build extra time into September routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to SR-1 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at April schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Morning starts matter: 28.9% 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 Cruz County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-1 | 2 |
| CR-E Cliff Dr | 1 |
| Encinal St | 1 |
| River St | 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 |
Live Oak, Santa Cruz County at a glance
| Land area | 3.2 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 95062) | $112,106 |
| Median home value (ZIP 95062) | $1,074,392 |
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 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 41 a year in the 2000s and 42 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 1.2 a year in 2016–19 and 1.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Live Oak, Santa Cruz County
How common are truck crashes in Live Oak, Santa Cruz County?
513 truck crashes have been reported in Santa Cruz County since 2015, with 16 deaths and 175 injuries.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Live Oak, Santa Cruz County?
SR-1 had 2 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Live Oak since 2015, more than any other road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Live Oak, Santa Cruz County?
Truck crashes in Santa Cruz County peak in September, with 10.1% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Live Oak, Santa Cruz County?
Since 2015, Santa Cruz County has reported 22 garbage-truck crashes, or 4.3% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Live Oak, Santa Cruz County compared with California?
The yearly rate is 17.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Santa Cruz County, vs 33.2 for California.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Live Oak, Santa Cruz County?
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.