Laurens, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Laurens: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Laurens and Pocahontas County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Pocahontas County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1 of 85 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Pocahontas County compares with Iowa
Pocahontas County against Iowa and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Pocahontas County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Pocahontas County | Iowa | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 109.0 | 68.1 | 49.7 | 1.6× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.8 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 1.4× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.64 | 0.41 | 0.49 | 1.6× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.2% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 45% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 15.5% | 18.7% | 6.2% | 17% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 27.4% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 3.6% | 15.1% | 13.8% | 76% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 35.7% | 45.4% | 41.9% | 21% below the state |
| After dark | 16.7% | 23.1% | 24.8% | 28% below the state |
Pocahontas County sits below Iowa on garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash.
Pocahontas County at a glance: October worst month: 14.1% of truck crashes, vs 8.3% in an average month.
Overview
Police reported 85 crashes involving commercial trucks in Pocahontas County since 2015: 54 people were injured and 4 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 48 days in fully reported years.
Only 2 truck crashes were reported in Laurens since 2015; patterns below come from Pocahontas County as a whole.
82% of truck crash reports in Pocahontas County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in October (14.1% of the year) and are lowest in May (2.4%).
November through March accounts for 35.7% of truck crashes here, compared with 45.4% in Iowa.
More truck crashes happen at 3–4 pm than at any other hour (14.1%).
15.5% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 18.7% across Iowa.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Laurens since 2015: SR-4 (2). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 1 of the truck crashes here, or 1.2%, compared with 2.2% in Iowa.
Route planning tips for Laurens fleets
- Plan October schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Pocahontas County.
- 27.4% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above Iowa; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- 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 Pocahontas County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-4 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Pocahontas County) |
|---|---|
| 130Th Ave | 5 |
| State 4/220Th Ave | 3 |
| C049/570Th St | 3 |
| 110Th Ave | 2 |
| 130Th Ave And Ia 3 | 2 |
| 140Th Ave | 2 |
| 590Th St | 2 |
| Ia 4 | 2 |
Laurens at a glance
| Population | 1,253 |
| Land area | 0.8 sq mi |
| Density | 1,655 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 50554) | $63,802 |
| Median home value (ZIP 50554) | $83,152 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Pocahontas 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 | 6 | +96% | 0.3 |
| 2010s | 6 | +15% | 0.2 |
| 2020s | 8 | +32% | 0.2 |
In the 1990s about 3 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 8. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.2 a year in 2016–19 and 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Laurens
How many truck accidents are there in Laurens?
Since 2015, 85 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Pocahontas County (54 injured, 4 killed).
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Laurens?
Truck crashes in Pocahontas County peak in October, with 14.1% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Laurens?
Garbage trucks were involved in 1 reported crash in Pocahontas County since 2015 (1.2% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Laurens compared with Iowa?
Per 100,000 residents, Pocahontas County has 109.0 truck crashes a year; Iowa has 68.1.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Laurens?
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.