Polk, IL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Polk: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Polk and Macoupin County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Macoupin County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
5 of 228 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Macoupin County compares with Illinois
Macoupin County against Illinois and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Macoupin County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Macoupin County | Illinois | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 48.1 | 56.0 | 49.7 | 14% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.4 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 8% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.43 | 0.50 | 0.49 | 14% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 2.4% | 1.4% | 2.3% | 1.7× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 10.4% | 9.0% | 6.2% | 1.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.0% | 24.3% | 23.7% | 1.1× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 18.5% | 17.9% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 40.3% | 42.0% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 19.9% | 24.1% | 24.8% | 17% below the state |
Macoupin County has lower values than Illinois for crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and injuries per crash. It stands out for higher garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am).
What stands out in Macoupin County: 1 in 42 garbage-truck share of crashes is 2.4%, against 1.4% for Illinois.
Overview
Macoupin County has recorded 228 truck crashes since 2015, with 99 people injured and 6 killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 17 days.
Only 4 truck crashes were reported in Polk since 2015; patterns below come from Macoupin County as a whole.
When crashes happen
February has the most truck crashes, 14.5% of the yearly total, while January has the fewest (4.8%).
Winter months (Nov–Mar) carry 40.3% of truck crashes, vs 42.0% for Illinois.
The busiest hour is 7–8 am, with 9.2% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 10.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Illinois: 9.0%).
Where crashes happen
Roads with fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Polk since 2015: SR-111 (1) and Shipman Rd (1). No single road stands out.
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 5 crashes, 2.2% of the total, against 1.4% across Illinois.
Route planning tips for Polk fleets
- Build extra time into February routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Morning starts matter: 28.0% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Illinois.
- With 10.4% 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.
Reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2020; rates and comparisons skip those years.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Macoupin County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-111 | 1 |
| Shipman Rd | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Macoupin County) |
|---|---|
| I-55 | 79 |
| Il-267 | 13 |
| Il-16 | 11 |
| Il-4 | 10 |
| Il-111 | 8 |
| Il-108 | 7 |
| US-66 | 3 |
| Shipman Rd | 3 |
Polk at a glance
| Population | 570 |
| Land area | 35.9 sq mi |
| Density | 16 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 62685) | $64,063 |
| Median home value (ZIP 62685) | $151,196 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Macoupin 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 | 10 | — | 0.4 |
| 2000s | 13 | +30% | 0.7 |
| 2010s | 20 | +56% | 0.2 |
| 2020s | 21 | +3% | 0.4 |
In the 1990s about 10 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 21. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 0.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 0.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Polk
How many truck accidents are there in Polk?
Macoupin County has had 228 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 99 people and killing 6.
When do most truck crashes happen in Polk?
February has the most truck crashes in Macoupin County, 14.5% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Polk?
Garbage trucks were involved in 5 reported crashes in Macoupin County since 2015 (2.2% of truck crashes).
How do truck crashes in Polk compare with Illinois?
Macoupin County records 48.1 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 56.0 across Illinois.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Polk?
The free Route Planner takes your stops and returns a route risk score, safer alternatives and low-bridge warnings.
Crash reporting to FMCSA was incomplete in 2020; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.