Lake Alfred, FL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Lake Alfred: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Lake Alfred and Polk County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Polk County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2.3 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 4.5 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Polk County compares with Florida
Polk County against Florida and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Polk County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Polk County | Florida | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 56.4 | 37.4 | 49.7 | 1.5× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.5 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 1.1× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.54 | 0.51 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.5% | 3.8% | 2.3% | 34% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.0% | 0.1% | 6.2% | 50% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.2% | 25.2% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 7.9% | 8.9% | 13.8% | 11% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.0% | 42.1% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 27.4% | 24.2% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Polk County has lower values than Florida for garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and after dark.
Polk County at a glance: February more garbage-truck crashes happen in February than in any other month (13%).
Overview
Since 2015, 5,582 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Polk County. They injured 3,056 people and killed 257.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 1 truck crash every day.
Only 115 truck crashes were reported in Lake Alfred since 2015; patterns below come from Polk County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is March with 10.4% of truck crashes; the quietest is June at 7.2%.
November through March accounts for 43.0% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.1% in Florida.
The busiest hour is 6–7 am, with 7.1% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 0.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Florida: 0.1%).
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Lake Alfred since 2015 were spread across roads: US-17 (8), US-27 (8), I-4 (6), US-92 (6) and SR-544 (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 138 of the truck crashes here, or 2.5%, compared with 3.8% in Florida.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in February (13% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 2.3 deaths compared with 4.5 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Lake Alfred fleets
- Build extra time into March routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at February schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 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 Polk County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-17 | 8 |
| US-27 | 8 |
| I-4 | 6 |
| US-92 | 6 |
| SR-544 | 3 |
| CR-557 | 2 |
| Deen Still Rd | 2 |
| SR-33 | 2 |
| CR-546 | 1 |
| CR-557A | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Polk County) |
|---|---|
| SR-60 | 431 |
| SR-27 | 354 |
| US-27 | 160 |
| US-98 | 158 |
| Sr25 (Highway 27) | 139 |
| US-92 | 128 |
| I-4 | 115 |
| SR-98 | 92 |
Lake Alfred at a glance
| Population | 8,632 |
| Land area | 21.0 sq mi |
| Density | 411 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 33850) | $61,622 |
| Median home value (ZIP 33850) | $177,002 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Polk 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 | 96 | — | 18.1 |
| 2000s | 258 | +167% | 19.4 |
| 2010s | 319 | +24% | 14.2 |
| 2020s | 539 | +69% | 21.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 96 to 539. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 18.0 a year in 2016–19 and 21.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Lake Alfred
How common are truck crashes in Lake Alfred?
5,582 truck crashes have been reported in Polk County since 2015, with 257 deaths and 3,056 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Lake Alfred?
Truck crashes in Polk County peak in March, with 10.4% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Lake Alfred?
138 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Polk County since 2015, 2.5% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Lake Alfred compared with Florida?
Polk County records 56.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 37.4 across Florida.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Lake Alfred?
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.