Sanibel, FL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Sanibel: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Sanibel and Lee County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Lee County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3.8 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 3.8 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Lee County compares with Florida
Lee County against Florida and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Lee County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Lee County | Florida | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 34.0 | 37.4 | 49.7 | 9% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 7% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.45 | 0.51 | 0.49 | 12% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 5.8% | 3.8% | 2.3% | 1.5× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.0% | 0.1% | 6.2% | 62% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 30.8% | 25.2% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 6.5% | 8.9% | 13.8% | 27% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 44.4% | 42.1% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 15.7% | 24.2% | 24.8% | 35% below the state |
Lee County sits below Florida on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. Where it is higher: garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am).
The headline for Lee County: 1 in 17 crashes involve a garbage truck (188 since 2015), vs 3.8% across Florida.
Overview
Since 2015, 3,377 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Lee County. They injured 1,498 people and killed 124.
In complete reporting years that works out to about 1 truck crash a day.
Sanibel had 16 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Lee County numbers.
When crashes happen
March has the most truck crashes, 10.3% of the yearly total, while June has the fewest (6.7%).
November through March accounts for 44.4% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.1% in Florida.
More truck crashes happen at 7–8 am than at any other hour (9.1%).
0.0% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.1% across Florida.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Sanibel happened on Cape Coral Pkwy W (1) and Mcgregor Blvd (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
188 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 5.6% share (Florida: 3.8%).
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in March (13%).
Deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes: 3.8, vs 3.8 for all truck crashes.
Route planning tips for Sanibel fleets
- Build extra time into March routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Waste haulers: March is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Lee County.
- The morning rush (6–10 am) holds 30.8% of truck crashes here, more than Florida; adjust start times where you can.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Lee County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| Cape Coral Pkwy W | 1 |
| Mcgregor Blvd | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Lee County) |
|---|---|
| I-75 (Sr-93) | 158 |
| SR-82 | 120 |
| I-75 (Sr 93) | 117 |
| Interstate 75 (State Road 93) | 104 |
| Colonial Blvd | 100 |
| Palm Beach Blvd | 96 |
| Alico Rd | 87 |
| Daniels Pkwy | 73 |
Sanibel at a glance
| Population | 6,358 |
| Land area | 16.2 sq mi |
| Density | 393 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 33957) | $108,644 |
| Median home value (ZIP 33957) | $924,978 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Lee 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 | 69 | — | 6.3 |
| 2000s | 136 | +97% | 8.3 |
| 2010s | 177 | +30% | 7.5 |
| 2020s | 326 | +84% | 11.6 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 69 to 326. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 10.8 a year in 2016–19 and 11.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Sanibel
How many truck accidents are there in Sanibel?
3,377 truck crashes have been reported in Lee County since 2015, with 124 deaths and 1,498 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Sanibel?
Truck crashes in Lee County peak in March, with 10.3% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Sanibel?
188 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Lee County since 2015, 5.6% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Sanibel compare with Florida?
Lee County records 34.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 37.4 across Florida.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Sanibel?
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.