Watkins, CO truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Watkins: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Watkins and Arapahoe County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Arapahoe County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.2 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Arapahoe County compares with Colorado
Arapahoe County against Colorado and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Arapahoe County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Arapahoe County | Colorado | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 17.3 | 32.6 | 49.7 | 47% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.2 | 5.1 | 3.4 | 37% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.29 | 0.32 | 0.49 | 9% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.7% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 1.7× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 10.5% | 14.8% | 6.2% | 29% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.2% | 25.7% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 9.8% | 13.2% | 13.8% | 26% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 38.6% | 43.5% | 41.9% | 11% below the state |
| After dark | 23.3% | 22.4% | 24.8% | same |
Arapahoe County sits below Colorado on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. Where it is higher: garbage-truck share.
The headline for Arapahoe County: 1 in 21 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 4.7%, vs 2.8% in Colorado.
Overview
Police reported 1,358 crashes involving commercial trucks in Arapahoe County since 2015: 403 people were injured and 42 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 3 days in fully reported years.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Watkins since 2015; patterns below come from Arapahoe County as a whole.
29% of truck crash reports in Arapahoe County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in July (9.7% of the year) and are lowest in March (6.9%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 38.6% of truck crashes, against 43.5% across Colorado.
The busiest hour is 1–2 pm, with 8.3% of truck crashes.
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 10.5% of truck crashes, compared with 14.8% in Colorado.
Where crashes happen
I-70 leads within 10 miles of Watkins with 6 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. After it: SR-470 (2), US-36 (2) and CR-E Quincy Ave (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 63 crashes, 4.6% of the total, against 2.8% across Colorado.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in February (13% of them).
They recorded 5.0 deaths per 100 crashes, against 3.2 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Watkins fleets
- Build extra time into July routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Check whether your routes use I-70, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Waste haulers: February is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Arapahoe County.
- 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 Arapahoe County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-70 | 6 |
| SR-470 | 2 |
| US-36 | 2 |
| CR-E Quincy Ave | 1 |
| CR-GUN Club Rd | 1 |
| CR-S Watkins Rd | 1 |
| N Imboden Rd | 1 |
| N Picadilly Rd | 1 |
| SR-40 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Arapahoe County) |
|---|---|
| I-25 | 39 |
| I 25 At Mp 198 | 10 |
| I 25 At Mp 196 | 10 |
| I 225 At E Mississippi Ave | 10 |
| E Arapahoe Rd | 10 |
| I70 .90 Miles E Of Mp 312 | 9 |
| E Belleview Ave | 7 |
| E470 At Mp 7 | 6 |
Watkins at a glance
| Land area | 24.7 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 80137) | $134,890 |
| Median home value (ZIP 80137) | $688,096 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Arapahoe 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 | 67 | — | 2.1 |
| 2000s | 113 | +69% | 2.8 |
| 2010s | 105 | -7% | 2.6 |
| 2020s | 119 | +13% | 3.8 |
In the 1990s about 67 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 119. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 3.0 a year in 2016–19 and 3.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Watkins
How many truck crashes happen in Watkins?
Arapahoe County has had 1,358 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 403 people and killing 42.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Watkins?
Since 2015, I-70 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Watkins: 6.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Watkins?
The worst month is July: 9.7% of truck crashes in Arapahoe County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Watkins?
Garbage trucks were involved in 63 reported crashes in Arapahoe County since 2015 (4.6% of truck crashes).
How does Watkins compare with Colorado for truck crashes?
Arapahoe County records 17.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 32.6 across Colorado.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Watkins?
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.