Chicago Heights, IL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Chicago Heights: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Chicago Heights and Cook County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Cook County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.2 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.3 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Cook County compares with Illinois
Cook County against Illinois and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Cook County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Cook County | Illinois | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 49.0 | 56.0 | 49.7 | 12% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.3 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 50% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.53 | 0.50 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.4% | 1.4% | 2.3% | same |
| On snow, slush or ice | 5.7% | 9.0% | 6.2% | 37% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.5% | 24.3% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 16.7% | 17.9% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.6% | 42.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 24.0% | 24.1% | 24.8% | same |
Cook County has lower values than Illinois for crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice.
The headline for Chicago Heights: 1.8× change in fatal truck crashes a year within 10 miles of Chicago Heights (5.8 → 10.4).
Overview
Since 2015, 29,495 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Cook County. They injured 15,477 people and killed 367.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly 7 truck crashes every day.
Chicago Heights had 0 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Cook County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is June with 9.3% of truck crashes; the quietest is April at 7.4%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 40.6% of truck crashes, against 42.0% across Illinois.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 7.2% of truck crashes.
5.7% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.0% across Illinois.
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Chicago Heights is I-80, with 16 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. It is followed by I-94 (7), I-57 (6) and SR-394 (6).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 425 crashes, 1.4% of the total, against 1.4% across Illinois.
The most garbage-truck crashes happen in May (11%).
They recorded 0.2 deaths per 100 crashes, against 1.3 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Chicago Heights fleets
- Build extra time into June routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Check whether your routes use I-80, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- For residential and commercial waste routes, look again at May schedules: garbage-truck crashes peak then.
- 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 Cook County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 16 |
| I-94 | 7 |
| I-57 | 6 |
| SR-394 | 6 |
| US-30 | 6 |
| I-294 | 5 |
| SR-1 | 5 |
| SR-83 | 3 |
| US-6 | 3 |
| SR-50 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Cook County) |
|---|---|
| I-294 | 2,877 |
| I-90 | 989 |
| I-94 | 802 |
| I-290 | 473 |
| I-55 | 458 |
| I-80 | 348 |
| S Cicero Ave | 339 |
| I-57 | 296 |
Chicago Heights at a glance
| Population | 26,533 |
| Land area | 10.4 sq mi |
| Density | 2,559 per sq mi |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Cook 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 | 1,033 | — | 42.5 |
| 2000s | 2,315 | +124% | 36.0 |
| 2010s | 2,360 | +2% | 20.9 |
| 2020s | 2,496 | +6% | 37.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 1,033 to 2,496. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 27.0 a year in 2016–19 and 37.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Chicago Heights
How many truck accidents are there in Chicago Heights?
29,495 truck crashes have been reported in Cook County since 2015, with 367 deaths and 15,477 injuries.
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Chicago Heights?
Since 2015, I-80 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Chicago Heights: 16.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Chicago Heights?
June has the most truck crashes in Cook County, 9.3% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Chicago Heights?
Since 2015, Cook County has reported 425 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.4% of its truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Chicago Heights compare with Illinois?
Per 100,000 residents, Cook County has 49.0 truck crashes a year; Illinois has 56.0.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Chicago Heights?
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.