Harwood Heights, IL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Harwood Heights: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Harwood 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 |
Compared with Illinois, Cook County is lower on crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and on snow, slush or ice.
Harwood Heights at a glance: I-290 most fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Harwood Heights: 11 since 2015.
Overview
Police reported 29,495 crashes involving commercial trucks in Cook County since 2015: 15,477 people were injured and 367 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about 7 truck crashes a day.
Harwood 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
Truck crashes peak in June (9.3% of the year) and are lowest in April (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.
Road surface: 5.7% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Illinois: 9.0%).
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-290 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (11). It is followed by I-294 (8), I-90 (7) and SR-50 (7).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 425 crashes, 1.4% of the total, against 1.4% across Illinois.
Their busiest month is May, with 11% of garbage-truck crashes.
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 0.2 deaths compared with 1.3 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Harwood Heights fleets
- Review driver schedules for June, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Look at alternatives to I-290 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Waste haulers: May is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Cook County.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
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 Cook County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-290 | 11 |
| I-294 | 8 |
| I-90 | 7 |
| SR-50 | 7 |
| SR-83 | 7 |
| Roosevelt Rd | 5 |
| SR-64 | 4 |
| I-88 | 3 |
| SR-72 | 3 |
| US-12 | 3 |
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 |
Harwood Heights at a glance
| Population | 8,755 |
| Land area | 0.8 sq mi |
| Density | 10,612 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 60706) | $84,530 |
| Median home value (ZIP 60706) | $359,127 |
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. NHTSA counts 27.0 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 37.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Harwood Heights
How many truck crashes happen in Harwood Heights?
Cook County has had 29,495 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 15,477 people and killing 367.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Harwood Heights?
I-290 had 11 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Harwood Heights since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Harwood Heights?
June has the most truck crashes in Cook County, 9.3% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Harwood Heights?
Since 2015, Cook County has reported 425 garbage-truck crashes, or 1.4% of its truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Harwood Heights compared with Illinois?
Per 100,000 residents, Cook County has 49.0 truck crashes a year; Illinois has 56.0.
What is the best way to plan truck routes in Harwood 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.