Schaefer Lake, IN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Schaefer Lake: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Schaefer Lake and Bartholomew County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Bartholomew County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
10 of 920 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Bartholomew County compares with Indiana
Bartholomew County against Indiana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Bartholomew County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Bartholomew County | Indiana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 93.5 | 80.8 | 49.7 | 1.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.41 | 0.36 | 0.49 | 1.1× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.1% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 51% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 6.7% | 10.6% | 6.2% | 37% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 19.1% | 22.4% | 23.7% | 14% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 18.4% | 17.4% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 37.6% | 42.7% | 41.9% | 12% below the state |
| After dark | 31.5% | 32.0% | 24.8% | same |
Bartholomew County sits below Indiana on garbage-truck share, on snow, slush or ice and morning rush (6–10 am). It runs above Indiana on crashes per 100k residents / yr and injuries per crash.
The headline for Bartholomew County: 1 in 87 crashes involve a garbage truck (10 since 2015), vs 2.4% across Indiana.
Overview
Police reported 920 crashes involving commercial trucks in Bartholomew County since 2015: 374 people were injured and 24 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 5 days in fully reported years.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Schaefer Lake since 2015; patterns below come from Bartholomew County as a whole.
When crashes happen
August has the most truck crashes, 10.5% of the yearly total, while December has the fewest (6.4%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 37.6% of truck crashes, against 42.7% across Indiana.
More truck crashes happen at 12–1 am than at any other hour (8.5%).
Road surface: 6.7% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Indiana: 10.6%).
Where crashes happen
The deadliest road for trucks within 10 miles of Schaefer Lake is SR-46, with 2 fatal large-truck crashes since 2015. Next come 25th Street (1), E State St (1) and SR-7 (1).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 10 of the truck crashes here, or 1.1%, compared with 2.4% in Indiana.
Route planning tips for Schaefer Lake fleets
- Plan August schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Bartholomew County.
- Look at alternatives to SR-46 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Bartholomew County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| SR-46 | 2 |
| 25th Street | 1 |
| E State St | 1 |
| SR-7 | 1 |
| SR-9 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Bartholomew County) |
|---|---|
| I-65 | 212 |
| I-65S | 122 |
| I-65N | 113 |
| US-31 | 35 |
| SR-46 | 27 |
| US-31S | 18 |
| US-31N | 17 |
| SR-46E | 14 |
Schaefer Lake at a glance
| Land area | 0.2 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 47246) | $94,375 |
| Median home value (ZIP 47246) | $203,147 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Bartholomew 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 | 19 | — | 2.1 |
| 2000s | 44 | +133% | 1.7 |
| 2010s | 63 | +44% | 1.4 |
| 2020s | 73 | +16% | 2.4 |
From the 1990s to the 2020s, yearly reported truck crashes went from 19 to 73. Some of the change may reflect how crashes were reported. NHTSA counts 2.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 2.4 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Schaefer Lake
How many truck accidents are there in Schaefer Lake?
Bartholomew County has had 920 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 374 people and killing 24.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Schaefer Lake?
Since 2015, SR-46 has had the most fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Schaefer Lake: 2.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Schaefer Lake?
Truck crashes in Bartholomew County peak in August, with 10.5% of the year's crashes.
Are garbage truck crashes common in Schaefer Lake?
Garbage trucks were involved in 10 reported crashes in Bartholomew County since 2015 (1.1% of truck crashes).
What is the truck crash rate in Schaefer Lake compared with Indiana?
Per 100,000 residents, Bartholomew County has 93.5 truck crashes a year; Indiana has 80.8.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Schaefer Lake?
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.