Niles, IL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Niles: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Niles 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.
What stands out in Niles: I-294 deadliest road: 9 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Niles since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 29,495 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Cook County. They injured 15,477 people and killed 367.
In complete reporting years that works out to about 7 truck crashes a day.
With 117 truck crashes reported in Niles since 2015, this page uses Cook County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
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.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (7.2%).
5.7% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.0% across Illinois.
Where crashes happen
Within this area, I-294 had the most fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015 (9). After it: SR-83 (7), I-90 (5) and SR-64 (4).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 425 crashes, 1.4% of the total, against 1.4% across Illinois.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in May (11% of them).
They recorded 0.2 deaths per 100 crashes, against 1.3 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Niles fleets
- Review driver schedules for June, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Where you can, review stops along I-294; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- 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
This report uses the FMCSA crash file (reported crashes of trucks over 10,000 lb) and NHTSA FARS (fatal crashes). It reports the numbers without guessing at reasons.
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-294 | 9 |
| SR-83 | 7 |
| I-90 | 5 |
| SR-64 | 4 |
| I-94 | 3 |
| SR-72 | 3 |
| US-12 | 3 |
| Golf Rd | 2 |
| SR-19 | 2 |
| US-14 | 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 |
Niles at a glance
| Population | 29,918 |
| Land area | 5.8 sq mi |
| Density | 5,116 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 60714) | $75,800 |
| Median home value (ZIP 60714) | $360,148 |
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 Niles
How common are truck crashes in Niles?
Since 2015, 29,495 crashes involving commercial trucks were reported in Cook County (15,477 injured, 367 killed).
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Niles?
I-294 had 9 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Niles since 2015, more than any other road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Niles?
The worst month is June: 9.3% of truck crashes in Cook County happen then.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Niles?
Garbage trucks were involved in 425 reported crashes in Cook County since 2015 (1.4% of truck crashes).
How does Niles compare with Illinois for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 49.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Cook County, vs 56.0 for Illinois.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Niles?
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.