Winter Haven, FL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Winter Haven: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Winter Haven 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.
The headline for Winter Haven: US-27 most fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Winter Haven: 12 since 2015.
Overview
Polk County has recorded 5,582 truck crashes since 2015, with 3,056 people injured and 257 killed.
That averages about 1 truck crash a day in fully reported years.
Winter Haven had 152 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
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.
By time of day, 6–7 am stands out 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
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Winter Haven is US-27, with 12 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. Next come US-17 (9), US-92 (8) and SR-60 (5).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 138 crashes, 2.5% of the total, against 3.8% across 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 Winter Haven fleets
- Build extra time into March routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to US-27 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at February schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Polk County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-27 | 12 |
| US-17 | 9 |
| US-92 | 8 |
| SR-60 | 5 |
| I-4 | 4 |
| SR-544 | 3 |
| CR-557 | 2 |
| CR-542 | 1 |
| 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 |
Winter Haven at a glance
| Population | 59,975 |
| Land area | 33.2 sq mi |
| Density | 1,805 per 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 Winter Haven
How many truck accidents are there in Winter Haven?
5,582 truck crashes have been reported in Polk County since 2015, with 257 deaths and 3,056 injuries.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Winter Haven?
Since 2015, US-27 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Winter Haven: 12.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Winter Haven?
The worst month is March: 10.4% of truck crashes in Polk County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Winter Haven?
Garbage trucks were involved in 138 reported crashes in Polk County since 2015 (2.5% of truck crashes).
How does Winter Haven compare with Florida for truck crashes?
Per 100,000 residents, Polk County has 56.4 truck crashes a year; Florida has 37.4.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Winter Haven?
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.