Willow Oak, FL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Willow Oak: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Willow Oak 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 runs above Florida on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and after dark.
Willow Oak at a glance: SR-60 most fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Willow Oak: 13 since 2015.
Overview
Police reported 5,582 crashes involving commercial trucks in Polk County since 2015: 3,056 people were injured and 257 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 1 truck crash every day.
Willow Oak had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Polk County numbers.
When crashes happen
March has the most truck crashes, 10.4% of the yearly total, while June has the fewest (7.2%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 43.0% of truck crashes, vs 42.1% for Florida.
More truck crashes happen at 6–7 am than at any other hour (7.1%).
0.0% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.1% across Florida.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, SR-60 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (13). Next come US-98 (6), County Line Rd (4) and SR-37 (4).
Garbage & waste trucks
138 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 2.5% share (Florida: 3.8%).
Their busiest month is February, with 13% of garbage-truck crashes.
They recorded 2.3 deaths per 100 crashes, against 4.5 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Willow Oak fleets
- Plan March schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Polk County.
- Where you can, review stops along SR-60; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in February; review collection routes for that month.
- 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 Polk County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-60 | 13 |
| US-98 | 6 |
| County Line Rd | 4 |
| SR-37 | 4 |
| US-92 | 4 |
| SR-39 | 3 |
| CR-640 | 2 |
| I-4 | 2 |
| Alexander St | 1 |
| CR-542 | 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 |
Willow Oak at a glance
| Land area | 3.1 sq mi |
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 large-truck crashes: 18.0 a year in 2016–19, 21.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Willow Oak
How common are truck crashes in Willow Oak?
Polk County has had 5,582 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 3,056 people and killing 257.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Willow Oak?
SR-60 had 13 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Willow Oak since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Willow Oak?
The worst month is March: 10.4% of truck crashes in Polk County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Willow Oak?
138 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Polk County since 2015, 2.5% of all truck crashes.
How does Willow Oak compare with Florida for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 56.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Polk County, vs 37.4 for Florida.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Willow Oak?
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.