Harter, IL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Harter: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Harter and Clay County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Clay County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0 of 77 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Clay County compares with Illinois
Clay County against Illinois and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Clay County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Clay County | Illinois | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 50.3 | 56.0 | 49.7 | 10% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.6 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 2.2× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.83 | 0.50 | 0.49 | 1.7× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.0% | 1.4% | 2.3% | 100% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 4.2% | 9.0% | 6.2% | 53% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 14.1% | 24.3% | 23.7% | 42% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 12.7% | 17.9% | 13.8% | 29% below the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 45.1% | 42.0% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 19.7% | 24.1% | 24.8% | 18% below the state |
Clay County sits below Illinois 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 winter months (nov–mar).
Clay County at a glance: 0 garbage-truck share of crashes is 0.0%, against 1.4% for Illinois.
Overview
Police reported 77 crashes involving commercial trucks in Clay County since 2015: 65 people were injured and 5 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 57 days.
Only 9 truck crashes were reported in Harter since 2015; patterns below come from Clay County as a whole.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 13.0% of truck crashes; the quietest is December at 3.9%.
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 45.1% of truck crashes, vs 42.0% for Illinois.
More truck crashes happen at 12–1 pm than at any other hour (15.6%).
4.2% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.0% across Illinois.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Harter since 2015: US-45 (2) and US-50 (2). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
Since 2015, no garbage-truck crashes were reported for Clay County.
Route planning tips for Harter fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Clay County.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Clay County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-45 | 2 |
| US-50 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Clay County) |
|---|---|
| US-50 | 10 |
| SR-50 | 6 |
| US-45 | 5 |
| I-57 | 4 |
| S Main St | 3 |
| Dietrich Blacktop | 3 |
| E. North Avenue | 2 |
| N Church St | 2 |
Harter at a glance
| Population | 5,932 |
| Land area | 55.8 sq mi |
| Density | 106 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 62839) | $53,685 |
| Median home value (ZIP 62839) | $90,031 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Clay 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 | — | 0.2 |
| 2000s | 7 | +62% | 0.3 |
| 2010s | 7 | +3% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 7 | -1% | 0.4 |
In the 1990s about 4 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 7. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.2 a year in 2016–19, 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Harter
How common are truck crashes in Harter?
77 truck crashes have been reported in Clay County since 2015, with 5 deaths and 65 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Harter?
January has the most truck crashes in Clay County, 13.0% of the yearly total.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Harter?
0 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Clay County since 2015, 0.0% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Harter compare with Illinois?
Per 100,000 residents, Clay County has 50.3 truck crashes a year; Illinois has 56.0.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Harter?
Paste your stops into the free CurbWaste Route Planner: it scores your route against fatal-crash locations, suggests safer alternatives and flags low bridges.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.