Santa Cruz, CA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Santa Cruz: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Santa Cruz 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 sits below California on 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.
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.
Santa Cruz had 34 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
The worst month is September with 10.1% of truck crashes; the quietest is November at 6.8%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 39.3% of truck crashes, against 40.2% across California.
By time of day, 12–1 pm stands out with 8.4% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 0.2% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (California: 0.9%).
Where crashes happen
Within this area, SR-1 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (2). It is followed by CR-E Cliff Dr (1), Encinal St (1) and Larkspur St (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 22 of the truck crashes here, or 4.3%, compared with 1.6% in California.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in April (18%).
They recorded 4.5 deaths per 100 crashes, against 3.3 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Santa Cruz fleets
- Review driver schedules for September, the month with the most truck crashes.
- 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
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 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 |
| Larkspur 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 |
Santa Cruz at a glance
| Population | 62,581 |
| Land area | 12.7 sq mi |
| Density | 4,912 per sq mi |
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 |
In the 2000s about 41 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 42. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.2 a year in 2016–19, 1.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Santa Cruz
How many truck accidents are there in Santa Cruz?
Since 2015, 513 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Santa Cruz County (175 injured, 16 killed).
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Santa Cruz?
SR-1 had 2 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Santa Cruz since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Santa Cruz?
Truck crashes in Santa Cruz County peak in September, with 10.1% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Santa Cruz?
22 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Santa Cruz County since 2015, 4.3% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Santa Cruz 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 can I plan a safer truck route in Santa Cruz?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.