Ontario, IL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Ontario: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Ontario and Knox County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Knox County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5 of 346 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Knox County compares with Illinois
Knox County against Illinois and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Knox County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Knox County | Illinois | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 61.0 | 56.0 | 49.7 | 1.1× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 3.7 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 1.4× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.43 | 0.50 | 0.49 | 14% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.5% | 1.4% | 2.3% | 1.1× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 19.0% | 9.0% | 6.2% | 2.1× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 24.5% | 24.3% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 22.9% | 17.9% | 13.8% | 1.3× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 44.6% | 42.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 32.1% | 24.1% | 24.8% | 1.3× the state |
Compared with Illinois, Knox County is lower on injuries per crash. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and garbage-truck share.
What stands out in Knox County: 19.0% share of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (Illinois: 9.0%).
Overview
Police reported 346 crashes involving commercial trucks in Knox County since 2015: 148 people were injured and 12 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 12 days in fully reported years.
Ontario had 2 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Knox County numbers.
When crashes happen
The worst month is January with 11.3% of truck crashes; the quietest is May at 5.2%.
The five winter months (November to March) hold 44.6% of truck crashes, against 42.0% across Illinois.
More truck crashes happen at 12–1 pm than at any other hour (6.9%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 19.0% of truck crashes, compared with 9.0% in Illinois.
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Ontario since 2015: I-74 (2) and US-34 (2). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 5 of the truck crashes here, or 1.4%, compared with 1.4% in Illinois.
Route planning tips for Ontario fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- With 19.0% of truck crashes on snow, slush or ice (above Illinois), plan winter equipment checks early.
- 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 Knox County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-74 | 2 |
| US-34 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Knox County) |
|---|---|
| I-74 | 144 |
| US-34 | 20 |
| Henderson St | 4 |
| Illinois Route 97 | 4 |
| Knox Highway 10 | 4 |
| Knox Highway 12 | 4 |
| N Henderson St | 4 |
| S Linwood Rd | 3 |
Ontario at a glance
| Population | 896 |
| Land area | 36.2 sq mi |
| Density | 25 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 61467) | $88,472 |
| Median home value (ZIP 61467) | $137,225 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Knox 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 | 16 | — | 0.9 |
| 2000s | 18 | +14% | 0.8 |
| 2010s | 26 | +46% | 0.7 |
| 2020s | 30 | +13% | 0.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 16 to 30. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 0.8 a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Ontario
How many truck accidents are there in Ontario?
Knox County has had 346 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 148 people and killing 12.
When do most truck crashes happen in Ontario?
The worst month is January: 11.3% of truck crashes in Knox County happen then.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Ontario?
5 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Knox County since 2015, 1.4% of all truck crashes.
What is the truck crash rate in Ontario compared with Illinois?
Knox County records 61.0 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 56.0 across Illinois.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Ontario?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.