Melrose Park, IL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Melrose Park: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Melrose Park 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.
Melrose Park at a glance: I-290 deadliest road: 11 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Melrose Park since 2015.
Overview
Cook County has recorded 29,495 truck crashes since 2015, with 15,477 people injured and 367 killed.
That averages about 7 truck crashes a day in fully reported years.
Only 191 truck crashes were reported in Melrose Park since 2015; patterns below come from Cook County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in June (9.3% of the year) and are lowest in April (7.4%).
November through March accounts for 40.6% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.0% in Illinois.
By time of day, 8–9 am stands out 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 Melrose Park is I-290, with 11 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. Next come I-55 (10), SR-50 (10) and I-294 (9).
Garbage & waste trucks
425 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 1.4% share (Illinois: 1.4%).
Garbage-truck crashes peak in May (11% of them).
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 0.2 deaths compared with 1.3 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Melrose Park fleets
- Plan June schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Cook County.
- 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.
- 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 Cook County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-290 | 11 |
| I-55 | 10 |
| SR-50 | 10 |
| I-294 | 9 |
| SR-83 | 7 |
| I-90 | 5 |
| Roosevelt Rd | 5 |
| SR-43 | 5 |
| SR-64 | 5 |
| I-88 | 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 |
Melrose Park at a glance
| Population | 23,999 |
| Land area | 4.4 sq mi |
| Density | 5,513 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 60160) | $66,189 |
| Median home value (ZIP 60160) | $275,197 |
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 Melrose Park
How many truck accidents are there in Melrose Park?
Since 2015, 29,495 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Cook County (15,477 injured, 367 killed).
What is the most dangerous road for trucks in Melrose Park?
NHTSA data shows I-290 with 11 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Melrose Park since 2015, the highest of any road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Melrose Park?
Truck crashes in Cook County peak in June, with 9.3% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Melrose Park?
425 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Cook County since 2015, 1.4% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Melrose Park compared with Illinois?
The yearly rate is 49.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Cook County, vs 56.0 for Illinois.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Melrose Park?
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.