Simla, CO truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Simla: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Simla and Elbert County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Elbert County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 201 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Elbert County compares with Colorado
Elbert County against Colorado and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Elbert County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Elbert County | Colorado | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 56.3 | 32.6 | 49.7 | 1.7× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 8.2 | 5.1 | 3.4 | 1.6× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.35 | 0.32 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.1% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 60% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 22.5% | 14.8% | 6.2% | 1.5× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.6% | 25.7% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 15.4% | 13.2% | 13.8% | 1.2× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 51.1% | 43.5% | 41.9% | 1.2× the state |
| After dark | 31.3% | 22.4% | 24.8% | 1.4× the state |
Elbert County has lower values than Colorado for garbage-truck share. It runs above Colorado on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
The headline for Elbert County: 1 in 91 crashes involve a garbage truck (2 since 2015), vs 2.8% across Colorado.
Overview
Since 2015, 201 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Elbert County. They injured 70 people and killed 15.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 22 days.
Simla had 1 reported truck crash since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Elbert County numbers.
73% of truck crash reports in Elbert County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
December has the most truck crashes, 13.4% of the yearly total, while October has the fewest (5.5%).
November through March accounts for 51.1% of truck crashes here, compared with 43.5% in Colorado.
The busiest hour is 7–8 am, with 10.9% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 22.5% 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 Simla happened on US-24 (2); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
2 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.0% share (Colorado: 2.8%).
Route planning tips for Simla fleets
- Plan December schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Elbert County.
- Morning starts matter: 28.6% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Colorado.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 22.5% 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
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 Elbert County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-24 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Elbert County) |
|---|---|
| I 70 At Mp 346 | 12 |
| I 70 At Mp 335 | 5 |
| I 70 At Mp 337 | 4 |
| I 70 At Mp 348 | 4 |
| I 70 At Mp 356 | 4 |
| I70 At Mp 343 | 4 |
| I70 At Mp 336 | 3 |
| I70 At Mp 334 | 3 |
Simla at a glance
| Population | 583 |
| Land area | 0.7 sq mi |
| Density | 896 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 80835) | $49,344 |
| Median home value (ZIP 80835) | $379,797 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Elbert 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 | 12 | — | 0.5 |
| 2000s | 12 | -2% | 0.7 |
| 2010s | 16 | +32% | 0.5 |
| 2020s | 19 | +23% | 0.8 |
In the 1990s about 12 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 19. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 0.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Simla
How many truck crashes happen in Simla?
Elbert County has had 201 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 70 people and killing 15.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Simla?
The worst month is December: 13.4% of truck crashes in Elbert County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Simla?
Garbage trucks were involved in 2 reported crashes in Elbert County since 2015 (1.0% of truck crashes).
How does Simla compare with Colorado for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 56.3 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Elbert County, vs 32.6 for Colorado.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Simla?
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.