Garfield, CO truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Garfield: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Garfield and Chaffee County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Chaffee County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5 of 135 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Chaffee County compares with Colorado
Chaffee County against Colorado and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Chaffee County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Chaffee County | Colorado | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 55.1 | 32.6 | 49.7 | 1.7× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 11.1 | 5.1 | 3.4 | 2.2× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.23 | 0.32 | 0.49 | 28% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 3.2% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 1.1× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 26.2% | 14.8% | 6.2% | 1.8× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.4% | 25.7% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 20.6% | 13.2% | 13.8% | 1.6× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.5% | 43.5% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 27.0% | 22.4% | 24.8% | 1.2× the state |
Chaffee County has lower values than Colorado for injuries per crash. It runs above Colorado on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Chaffee County: 11.1 deaths per 100 truck crashes, vs 5.1 in Colorado.
Overview
Since 2015, 135 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Chaffee County. They injured 33 people and killed 14.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 32 days.
Garfield had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Chaffee County numbers.
82% of truck crash reports in Chaffee County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is July with 11.9% of truck crashes; the quietest is November at 4.4%.
November through March accounts for 40.5% of truck crashes here, compared with 43.5% in Colorado.
The busiest hour is 12–1 pm, with 9.6% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 26.2% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Colorado: 14.8%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Garfield happened on US-50 (3); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
5 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 3.7% share (Colorado: 2.8%).
Route planning tips for Garfield fleets
- Plan July schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Chaffee County.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 26.2% of truck crashes here, more than Colorado; schedule winter checks early.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Chaffee County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-50 | 3 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Chaffee County) |
|---|---|
| Hwy 50 At Mp 209 | 6 |
| Hwy 50 At Mp 199 | 5 |
| Hwy 50 At Mp 202 | 3 |
| Hwy 285 At Mp 137 | 3 |
| Cr 187 At Cr 307 | 2 |
| Hwy 24 2,112 Feet E Of Mp 217 | 2 |
| Hwy 24 At Mp 221 | 2 |
| Hwy 285 At Mp 119 | 2 |
Garfield at a glance
| Land area | 0.3 sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Chaffee 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 | 6 | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 8 | +36% | 0.5 |
| 2010s | 10 | +35% | 0.6 |
| 2020s | 12 | +12% | 0.8 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 6 to 12. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.5 a year in 2016–19, 0.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Garfield
How many truck accidents are there in Garfield?
Chaffee County has had 135 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 33 people and killing 14.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Garfield?
July has the most truck crashes in Chaffee County, 11.9% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Garfield?
Garbage trucks were involved in 5 reported crashes in Chaffee County since 2015 (3.7% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Garfield compare with Colorado?
Per 100,000 residents, Chaffee County has 55.1 truck crashes a year; Colorado has 32.6.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Garfield?
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.