Elm River, IL truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Elm River: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Elm River and Wayne County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Wayne County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1 of 175 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Wayne County compares with Illinois
Wayne County against Illinois and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Wayne County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Wayne County | Illinois | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 98.2 | 56.0 | 49.7 | 1.8× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 6.4 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 2.5× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.53 | 0.50 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 0.6% | 1.4% | 2.3% | 57% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 9.3% | 9.0% | 6.2% | same |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 28.5% | 24.3% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 19.2% | 17.9% | 13.8% | 1.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 48.8% | 42.0% | 41.9% | 1.2× the state |
| After dark | 35.5% | 24.1% | 24.8% | 1.5× the state |
Compared with Illinois, Wayne County is lower on garbage-truck share. Where it is higher: crashes per 100k residents / yr, deaths per 100 crashes and morning rush (6–10 am).
Wayne County at a glance: 6.4 people killed per 100 truck crashes (Illinois: 2.6).
Overview
Police reported 175 crashes involving commercial trucks in Wayne County since 2015: 95 people were injured and 11 were killed.
In complete reporting years that works out to about one truck crash every 23 days.
With 4 truck crashes reported in Elm River since 2015, this page uses Wayne County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
The worst month is February with 12.6% of truck crashes; the quietest is June at 4.0%.
November through March accounts for 48.8% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.0% in Illinois.
The busiest hour is 8–9 am, with 9.1% of truck crashes.
9.3% of truck crashes here happened on snow, slush or ice, against 9.0% across Illinois.
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Elm River happened on US-45 (2) and CR-1 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
1 crash involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 0.6% share (Illinois: 1.4%).
Route planning tips for Elm River fleets
- Review driver schedules for February, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Morning starts matter: 28.5% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Illinois.
- 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 Wayne County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| US-45 | 2 |
| CR-1 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Wayne County) |
|---|---|
| I-64 | 86 |
| US-45 | 10 |
| W Delaware St | 5 |
| S 1St St | 5 |
| Il-15 | 5 |
| Cr-1 | 4 |
| Il-242 | 3 |
| Ch 16 | 2 |
Elm River at a glance
| Population | 242 |
| Land area | 36.0 sq mi |
| Density | 7 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 62842) | $73,424 |
| Median home value (ZIP 62842) | $108,912 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Wayne 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 | 4 | — | 0.3 |
| 2000s | 11 | +185% | 0.6 |
| 2010s | 13 | +19% | 1.0 |
| 2020s | 16 | +25% | 1.6 |
In the 1990s about 4 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 16. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 0.5 a year in 2016–19, 1.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Elm River
How many truck accidents are there in Elm River?
175 truck crashes have been reported in Wayne County since 2015, with 11 deaths and 95 injuries.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Elm River?
Truck crashes in Wayne County peak in February, with 12.6% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Elm River?
Garbage trucks were involved in 1 reported crash in Wayne County since 2015 (0.6% of truck crashes).
How does Elm River compare with Illinois for truck crashes?
The yearly rate is 98.2 truck crashes per 100,000 residents in Wayne County, vs 56.0 for Illinois.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Elm River?
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.