Elk Horn, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Elk Horn: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Elk Horn and Shelby County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Shelby County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1 of 73 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Shelby County compares with Iowa
Shelby County against Iowa and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Shelby County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Shelby County | Iowa | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 53.1 | 68.1 | 49.7 | 22% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 4.3 | 3.5 | 3.4 | 1.2× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.84 | 0.41 | 0.49 | 2.0× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.5% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 33% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 7.2% | 18.7% | 6.2% | 61% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 31.9% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 1.3× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 7.2% | 15.1% | 13.8% | 52% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.5% | 45.4% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 15.9% | 23.1% | 24.8% | 31% below the state |
Shelby County sits below Iowa on crashes per 100k residents / yr, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice. Where it is higher: deaths per 100 crashes, injuries per crash and morning rush (6–10 am).
The headline for Elk Horn: I-80 deadliest road: 4 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Elk Horn since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 73 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Shelby County. They injured 62 people and killed 4.
That averages about one truck crash every 58 days in fully reported years.
Elk Horn had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Shelby County numbers.
68% of truck crash reports in Shelby County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
The worst month is June with 13.7% of truck crashes; the quietest is January at 1.4%.
November through March accounts for 43.5% of truck crashes here, compared with 45.4% in Iowa.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 15.1% of truck crashes.
7.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 18.7% across Iowa.
Where crashes happen
I-80 leads within 10 miles of Elk Horn with 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. It is followed by CR-F58/W Washington St (1) and US-71 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
1 crash involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.4% share (Iowa: 2.2%).
Route planning tips for Elk Horn fleets
- Review driver schedules for June, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to I-80 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- 31.9% of truck crashes happen between 6 and 10 am, above Iowa; consider earlier or later starts where possible.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Shelby County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 4 |
| CR-F58/W Washington St | 1 |
| US-71 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Shelby County) |
|---|---|
| US-59 | 9 |
| State 44/Chatburn Ave | 4 |
| 1500Th St And St F32 Unsigned | 3 |
| F032/Street F32 | 2 |
| Ia 191 | 2 |
| Ia 44 | 2 |
| Ia 44 East Of Exchange | 2 |
| State 37/Iowa 37 | 2 |
Elk Horn at a glance
| Population | 631 |
| Land area | 0.7 sq mi |
| Density | 861 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 51531) | $59,199 |
| Median home value (ZIP 51531) | $133,332 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Shelby 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 | 2 | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 2 | +53% | 0.3 |
| 2010s | 6 | +158% | 0.4 |
| 2020s | 6 | -9% | 0.2 |
Reported truck crashes averaged 2 a year in the 1990s and 6 a year in the 2020s. Reporting practices changed over time, so part of any change can come from reporting. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.8 a year in 2016–19 and 0.2 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Elk Horn
How many truck crashes happen in Elk Horn?
Shelby County has had 73 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 62 people and killing 4.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Elk Horn?
I-80 had 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Elk Horn since 2015, more than any other road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Elk Horn?
Truck crashes in Shelby County peak in June, with 13.7% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Elk Horn?
Garbage trucks were involved in 1 reported crash in Shelby County since 2015 (1.4% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Elk Horn compare with Iowa?
The yearly rate is 53.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Shelby County, vs 68.1 for Iowa.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Elk Horn?
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.