Nelson, GA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Nelson: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Nelson and Pickens County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Pickens County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
10 of 211 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Pickens County compares with Georgia
Pickens County against Georgia and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Pickens County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Pickens County | Georgia | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 49.5 | 62.4 | 49.7 | 21% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 8.0 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 2.4× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.56 | 0.50 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 5.0% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 1.9× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 0.5% | 0.5% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 25.6% | 22.6% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 11.1% | 11.4% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 38.2% | 40.9% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 18.6% | 24.5% | 24.8% | 24% below the state |
Pickens County has lower values than Georgia for crashes per 100k residents / yr and after dark. It stands out for higher deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Pickens County: 8.0 deaths per 100 truck crashes, vs 3.3 in Georgia.
Overview
Police reported 211 crashes involving commercial trucks in Pickens County since 2015: 116 people were injured and 16 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 20 days in fully reported years.
Nelson had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Pickens County numbers.
45% of truck crash reports in Pickens County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is March with 12.8% of truck crashes; the quietest is February at 5.2%.
November through March accounts for 38.2% of truck crashes here, compared with 40.9% in Georgia.
By time of day, 9–10 am stands out with 8.5% of truck crashes.
0.5% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 0.5% across Georgia.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Nelson is SR-5, with 9 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by SR-108 (2), SR-20 (2) and SR-372 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
10 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 4.7% share (Georgia: 2.6%).
Route planning tips for Nelson fleets
- Review driver schedules for March, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Check whether your routes use SR-5, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- 25.6% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above Georgia; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- 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 Pickens County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-5 | 9 |
| SR-108 | 2 |
| SR-20 | 2 |
| SR-372 | 2 |
| SR-515 | 2 |
| CR-1062 Ball Ground Hwy | 1 |
| CR-STEVE Tate Highway | 1 |
| I-575 | 1 |
| SR-0005 | 1 |
| SR-53 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Pickens County) |
|---|---|
| Ga 53 | 3 |
| Ga 5 / Ga 108 | 2 |
| Ga 5 North At Worley Crossroads | 2 |
| Ga108 @Refuge Rd | 2 |
| Highway 53 W Near Bryant Rd | 2 |
| North Main St / Hood Road | 2 |
| Salem Church Road Near Ga 5 South | 2 |
| Sr 108 Near Bethany Rd | 2 |
Nelson at a glance
| Population | 1,171 |
| Land area | 1.6 sq mi |
| Density | 728 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Pickens 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 | 14 | — | 0.2 |
| 2000s | 19 | +40% | 1.2 |
| 2010s | 14 | -28% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 20 | +47% | 2.0 |
In the 1990s about 14 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 20. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 0.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Nelson
How common are truck crashes in Nelson?
Pickens County has had 211 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 116 people and killing 16.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Nelson?
SR-5 had 9 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Nelson since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Nelson?
March has the most truck crashes in Pickens County, 12.8% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Nelson?
Since 2015, Pickens County has reported 10 garbage-truck crashes, or 4.7% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Nelson compare with Georgia?
The yearly rate is 49.5 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Pickens County, vs 62.4 for Georgia.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Nelson?
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.