Columbus, IL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Columbus: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Columbus and Adams County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Adams County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
3 of 275 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Adams County compares with Illinois
Adams County against Illinois and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Adams County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Adams County | Illinois | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 37.0 | 56.0 | 49.7 | 34% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.7 | 2.6 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.40 | 0.50 | 0.49 | 20% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.1% | 1.4% | 2.3% | 15% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 9.2% | 9.0% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 19.5% | 24.3% | 23.7% | 20% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 11.5% | 17.9% | 13.8% | 36% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.1% | 42.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 13.0% | 24.1% | 24.8% | 46% below the state |
Adams County sits below Illinois on crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Adams County: June the month with the most truck crashes: 12.0% of the year's total.
Overview
Adams County has recorded 275 truck crashes since 2015, with 113 people injured and 8 killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 15 days.
Columbus had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Adams County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is June with 12.0% of truck crashes; the quietest is May at 5.8%.
November through March accounts for 42.1% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.0% in Illinois.
By time of day, 12–1 pm stands out with 10.5% of truck crashes.
9.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.0% across Illinois.
Where crashes happen
Fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Columbus since 2015 were spread across roads: N 1200th Ave (1) and SR-61 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 3 of the truck crashes here, or 1.1%, compared with 1.4% in Illinois.
Route planning tips for Columbus fleets
- Review driver schedules for June, the month with the most truck crashes.
- 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 Adams County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| N 1200th Ave | 1 |
| SR-61 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Adams County) |
|---|---|
| Broadway | 21 |
| I-172 | 13 |
| SR-24 | 11 |
| SR-57 | 9 |
| Gardner Expressway | 9 |
| US-24 | 5 |
| 4Th | 5 |
| 3Rd Street | 4 |
Columbus at a glance
| Population | 109 |
| Land area | 0.2 sq mi |
| Density | 498 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 62320) | $77,143 |
| Median home value (ZIP 62320) | $170,331 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Adams 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 | 8 | — | 0.8 |
| 2000s | 17 | +127% | 0.4 |
| 2010s | 21 | +22% | 0.5 |
| 2020s | 25 | +18% | 0.6 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 8 to 25. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 0.5 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Columbus
How common are truck crashes in Columbus?
Since 2015, 275 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Adams County (113 injured, 8 killed).
When do most truck crashes happen in Columbus?
June has the most truck crashes in Adams County, 12.0% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Columbus?
3 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Adams County since 2015, 1.1% of all truck crashes.
How does Columbus compare with Illinois for truck crashes?
Adams County records 37.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 56.0 across Illinois.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Columbus?
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.