Buffalo, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Buffalo: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Buffalo and Muscatine County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Muscatine County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 269 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Muscatine County compares with Iowa
Muscatine County against Iowa and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Muscatine County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Muscatine County | Iowa | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 55.5 | 68.1 | 49.7 | 19% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 1.2× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.45 | 0.41 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.2% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 46% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 15.6% | 18.7% | 6.2% | 17% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 30.7% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 1.3× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 11.7% | 15.1% | 13.8% | 23% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.6% | 45.4% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 17.9% | 23.1% | 24.8% | 22% below the state |
Compared with Iowa, Muscatine County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. It stands out for higher deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and morning rush (6–10 am).
What stands out in Buffalo: I-280 most fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Buffalo: 2 since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 269 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Muscatine County. They injured 124 people and killed 12.
That averages about one truck crash every 16 days in fully reported years.
With 0 truck crashes reported in Buffalo since 2015, this page uses Muscatine County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
40% of truck crash reports in Muscatine County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 12.3% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 5.9%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 43.6% of truck crashes, against 45.4% across Iowa.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 10.4% of truck crashes.
15.6% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 18.7% across Iowa.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-280 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (2). It is followed by 31st Ave (1), Cenntennial Expressway (1) and Rockingham Rd (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 3 of the truck crashes here, or 1.1%, compared with 2.2% in Iowa.
Route planning tips for Buffalo fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Muscatine County.
- Check whether your routes use I-280, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Morning starts matter: 30.7% 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
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 Muscatine County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-280 | 2 |
| 31st Ave | 1 |
| Cenntennial Expressway | 1 |
| Rockingham Rd | 1 |
| SR-92 | 1 |
| US-61 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Muscatine County) |
|---|---|
| US-61 | 31 |
| US-6 | 9 |
| Ia 22 | 6 |
| State 22/Iowa 22 | 5 |
| Dick Drake Way | 4 |
| Isett Ave And Us 61 | 4 |
| State 38/Park Ave And Us 61 An | 3 |
| Y014/Taylor Ave | 3 |
Buffalo at a glance
| Population | 1,163 |
| Land area | 6.8 sq mi |
| Density | 172 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 52759) | $70,568 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Muscatine 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 | 21 | — | 1.6 |
| 2000s | 22 | +5% | 0.6 |
| 2010s | 23 | +6% | 1.0 |
| 2020s | 21 | -11% | 0.6 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 21 a year in the 1990s and 21 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. NHTSA counts 1.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Buffalo
How many truck crashes happen in Buffalo?
Since 2015, 269 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Muscatine County (124 injured, 12 killed).
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Buffalo?
NHTSA data shows I-280 with 2 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Buffalo since 2015, the highest of any road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Buffalo?
The worst month is January: 12.3% of truck crashes in Muscatine County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Buffalo?
3 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Muscatine County since 2015, 1.1% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Buffalo compare with Iowa?
The yearly rate is 55.5 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Muscatine County, vs 68.1 for Iowa.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Buffalo?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.