Dows, IA truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Dows: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Dows and Wright County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Wright County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1 of 128 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Wright County compares with Iowa
Wright County against Iowa and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Wright County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Wright County | Iowa | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 87.1 | 68.1 | 49.7 | 1.3× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.3 | 3.5 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.43 | 0.41 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.8% | 2.2% | 2.3% | 62% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 38.5% | 18.7% | 6.2% | 2.1× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 18.0% | 24.0% | 23.7% | 25% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 19.7% | 15.1% | 13.8% | 1.3× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 62.3% | 45.4% | 41.9% | 1.4× the state |
| After dark | 24.6% | 23.1% | 24.8% | same |
Wright County sits below Iowa on garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and in rain, sleet or snow.
Wright County at a glance: February 21.9% of truck crashes happen in February, more than any other month.
Overview
Police reported 128 crashes involving commercial trucks in Wright County since 2015: 53 people were injured and 4 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 33 days.
Only 6 truck crashes were reported in Dows since 2015; patterns below come from Wright County as a whole.
60% of truck crash reports in Wright County since 2015 leave the city field blank; place counts include only reports that name the place.
When crashes happen
February has the most truck crashes, 21.9% of the yearly total, while May has the fewest (3.1%).
November through March accounts for 62.3% of truck crashes here, compared with 45.4% in Iowa.
More truck crashes happen at 2–3 pm than at any other hour (10.9%).
38.5% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 18.7% across Iowa.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Dows happened on I-35 (1) and US-69 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
1 crash involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 0.8% share (Iowa: 2.2%).
Route planning tips for Dows fleets
- Build extra time into February routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 38.5% of truck crashes here, more than Iowa; schedule winter checks early.
- 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 Wright County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-35 | 1 |
| US-69 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Wright County) |
|---|---|
| US-69 | 8 |
| State 17/Iowa 17 | 5 |
| Ia 17 | 5 |
| Interstate 35- @ 150.35 Mm | 3 |
| I-35 | 3 |
| C070/330Th St | 3 |
| 152.30 Mm I35 | 2 |
| Hwy 69 And Hwy 3 | 2 |
Dows at a glance
| Population | 509 |
| Land area | 0.8 sq mi |
| Density | 662 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 50071) | $83,036 |
| Median home value (ZIP 50071) | $73,200 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Wright 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 | 4 | — | 0.3 |
| 2000s | 9 | +108% | 0.6 |
| 2010s | 11 | +19% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 10 | -6% | 0.4 |
In the 1990s about 4 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 10. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 0.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Dows
How many truck crashes happen in Dows?
128 truck crashes have been reported in Wright County since 2015, with 4 deaths and 53 injuries.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Dows?
February has the most truck crashes in Wright County, 21.9% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Dows?
1 crash involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Wright County since 2015, 0.8% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Dows compared with Iowa?
Wright County records 87.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 68.1 across Iowa.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Dows?
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.