Bright, IN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Bright: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Bright and Dearborn County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Dearborn County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
18 of 444 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Dearborn County compares with Indiana
Dearborn County against Indiana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Dearborn County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Dearborn County | Indiana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 78.4 | 80.8 | 49.7 | same |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.0 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 31% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.56 | 0.36 | 0.49 | 1.6× the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.5% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 1.9× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 12.2% | 10.6% | 6.2% | 1.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 26.3% | 22.4% | 23.7% | 1.2× the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 19.4% | 17.4% | 13.8% | 1.1× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 46.7% | 42.7% | 41.9% | 1.1× the state |
| After dark | 27.1% | 32.0% | 24.8% | 15% below the state |
Dearborn County sits below Indiana on deaths per 100 crashes and after dark. It runs above Indiana on injuries per crash, garbage-truck share and on snow, slush or ice.
What stands out in Dearborn County: 1 in 22 crashes involve a garbage truck (18 since 2015), vs 2.4% across Indiana.
Overview
Police reported 444 crashes involving commercial trucks in Dearborn County since 2015: 239 people were injured and 11 were killed.
Across the years with complete reporting, that is roughly one truck crash every 9 days.
Only 1 truck crash was reported in Bright since 2015; patterns below come from Dearborn County as a whole.
When crashes happen
January has the most truck crashes, 13.5% of the yearly total, while May has the fewest (6.5%).
November through March accounts for 46.7% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.7% in Indiana.
More truck crashes happen at 8–9 am than at any other hour (8.6%).
Road surface: 12.2% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Indiana: 10.6%).
Where crashes happen
I-275 leads within 10 miles of Bright with 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. It is followed by I-74 (2), SR-1 (2) and SR-128 (2).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 18 crashes, 4.1% of the total, against 2.4% across Indiana.
Route planning tips for Bright fleets
- Plan January schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Dearborn County.
- Check whether your routes use I-275, the road with the most fatal truck crashes in this area.
- Morning starts matter: 26.3% of truck crashes fall between 6 and 10 am, higher than Indiana.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 12.2% of truck crashes here, more than Indiana; schedule winter 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 was incomplete in 2021, so those years are greyed out and left out of rates and comparisons.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Dearborn County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-275 | 4 |
| I-74 | 2 |
| SR-1 | 2 |
| SR-128 | 2 |
| US-52 | 2 |
| CR-14 Dry Fork Rd | 1 |
| CR-177 Buffalo Ridge Rd | 1 |
| CR-HARRISON Brookville Rd | 1 |
| I-275S | 1 |
| Mu-3271 Mt Nebo Rd | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Dearborn County) |
|---|---|
| I-74 | 74 |
| US-50 | 34 |
| US-50E | 34 |
| I-74W | 28 |
| US-50W | 21 |
| I-74E | 17 |
| I-275N | 14 |
| I-275 | 13 |
Bright at a glance
| Land area | 12.5 sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 47022) | $93,633 |
| Median home value (ZIP 47022) | $284,428 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Dearborn 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 | — | 0.6 |
| 2000s | 33 | +73% | 1.1 |
| 2010s | 40 | +24% | 1.1 |
| 2020s | 37 | -9% | 0.6 |
In the 1990s about 19 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 37. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 1.2 a year in 2016–19, 0.6 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Bright
How common are truck crashes in Bright?
Dearborn County has had 444 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 239 people and killing 11.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Bright?
I-275 had 4 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Bright since 2015, more than any other road.
What is the worst month for truck crashes in Bright?
The worst month is January: 13.5% of truck crashes in Dearborn County happen then.
How many garbage truck accidents happen in Bright?
18 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Dearborn County since 2015, 4.1% of all truck crashes.
How do truck crashes in Bright compare with Indiana?
Dearborn County records 78.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 80.8 across Indiana.
How do I plan a garbage truck route in Bright?
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 2021; those years are greyed out and left out of rates. 2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.