Washta, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Washta: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Washta and Cherokee County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Cherokee County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
2 of 153 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Cherokee County compares with Iowa
Cherokee County against Iowa and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Cherokee County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Cherokee County | Iowa | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 114.6 | 68.1 | 49.7 | 1.7× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.4 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 60% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.62 | 0.41 | 0.49 | 1.5× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.4% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 38% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 17.0% | 18.7% | 6.2% | 9% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 32.6% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 1.4× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 10.9% | 15.1% | 13.8% | 28% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 48.3% | 45.4% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 15.7% | 23.1% | 24.8% | 32% below the state |
Cherokee County sits below Iowa on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and morning rush (6–10 am).
The headline for Cherokee County: 1.4 deaths per 100 truck crashes, vs 3.5 in Iowa.
Overview
Since 2015, 153 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Cherokee County. They injured 93 people and killed 3.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 27 days.
Washta had 4 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Cherokee County numbers.
59% of truck crash reports in Cherokee County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in November (12.4% of the year) and are lowest in June (3.9%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 48.3% of truck crashes, vs 45.4% for Iowa.
The busiest hour is 9–10 am, with 9.8% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 17.0% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Iowa: 18.7%).
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Washta since 2015: US-20 (2). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 2 of the truck crashes here, or 1.3%, compared with 2.2% in Iowa.
Route planning tips for Washta fleets
- Build extra time into November routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Morning starts matter: 32.6% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Iowa.
- Paste your stops into the free Route Planner to see the risk score, safer alternatives and low bridges.
About the data
Sources: the FMCSA crash file for all reported truck crashes and NHTSA FARS for fatal crashes with a large truck. Every statement here comes straight from those numbers.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Cherokee County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-20 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Cherokee County) |
|---|---|
| US-59 | 17 |
| Ia 3 | 8 |
| State 3/Iowa 3 | 8 |
| L036/D Ave | 4 |
| L051/L Ave | 4 |
| Main St | 3 |
| M021/W Ave | 3 |
| F Ave | 3 |
Washta at a glance
| Population | 206 |
| Land area | 1.0 sq mi |
| Density | 204 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 51061) | $49,375 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Cherokee 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 | 3 | — | 0.5 |
| 2000s | 8 | +119% | 0.6 |
| 2010s | 13 | +69% | 0.5 |
| 2020s | 14 | +8% | 0.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 3 to 14. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.0 a year in 2016–19, 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Washta
How many truck crashes happen in Washta?
Since 2015, 153 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Cherokee County (93 injured, 3 killed).
Which month has the most truck crashes in Washta?
Truck crashes in Cherokee County peak in November, with 12.4% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Washta?
2 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Cherokee County since 2015, 1.3% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Washta compared with Iowa?
Cherokee County records 114.6 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 68.1 across Iowa.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Washta?
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.