Laurel, IN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Laurel: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Laurel and Franklin County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Franklin County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
6 of 144 truck crashes since 2015.
Deadliest roads
How Franklin County compares with Indiana
Franklin County against Indiana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Franklin County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Franklin County | Indiana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 51.9 | 80.8 | 49.7 | 36% below the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 5.3 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 1.8× the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.30 | 0.36 | 0.49 | 17% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 4.5% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 1.9× the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 5.3% | 10.6% | 6.2% | 50% below the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 17.4% | 22.4% | 23.7% | 22% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 23.5% | 17.4% | 13.8% | 1.4× the state |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 36.4% | 42.7% | 41.9% | 15% below the state |
| After dark | 31.1% | 32.0% | 24.8% | same |
Franklin County has lower values than Indiana for crashes per 100k residents / yr, injuries per crash and on snow, slush or ice. It runs above Indiana on deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and in rain, sleet or snow.
What stands out in Franklin County: 1 in 22 of truck crashes here involve garbage trucks: 4.5%, vs 2.4% in Indiana.
Overview
Police reported 144 crashes involving commercial trucks in Franklin County since 2015: 49 people were injured and 7 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 30 days in fully reported years.
With 9 truck crashes reported in Laurel since 2015, this page uses Franklin County numbers for its patterns and comparisons.
When crashes happen
December has the most truck crashes, 11.8% of the yearly total, while January has the fewest (4.9%).
November through March accounts for 36.4% of truck crashes here, compared with 42.7% in Indiana.
The busiest hour is 3–4 pm, with 10.4% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 5.3% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Indiana: 10.6%).
Where crashes happen
Since 2015, fatal crashes with a large truck within 10 miles of Laurel happened on CR-350E (1), SR-44 (1), SR-44W (1) and Sr- 44 (1); no road leads clearly.
Garbage & waste trucks
6 crashes involved a garbage or refuse truck, a 4.2% share (Indiana: 2.4%).
Route planning tips for Laurel fleets
- Plan December schedules with more margin; it is the worst month for truck crashes in Franklin County.
- Use the free Route Planner to score your route and spot low bridges before drivers head out.
About the data
Crash counts come from the FMCSA crash file (police-reported crashes involving trucks over 10,000 lb); fatal-crash locations come from NHTSA FARS. Text on this page states only what these numbers show.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Franklin County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| CR-350E | 1 |
| SR-44 | 1 |
| SR-44W | 1 |
| Sr- 44 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Franklin County) |
|---|---|
| US-52 | 30 |
| I-74 | 22 |
| US-52W | 6 |
| US-52E | 6 |
| I-74E | 4 |
| SR-46 | 3 |
| I-74W | 2 |
| Main | 2 |
Laurel at a glance
| Population | 412 |
| Land area | 0.2 sq mi |
| Density | 1,731 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 47024) | $57,316 |
| Median home value (ZIP 47024) | $148,455 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Franklin 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 | 5 | — | 0.8 |
| 2000s | 9 | +93% | 0.4 |
| 2010s | 9 | +5% | 0.3 |
| 2020s | 12 | +29% | 1.0 |
In the 1990s about 5 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 12. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. NHTSA counts 0.2 fatal large-truck crashes a year in 2016–19 and 1.0 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Laurel
How common are truck crashes in Laurel?
144 truck crashes have been reported in Franklin County since 2015, with 7 deaths and 49 injuries.
When do most truck crashes happen in Laurel?
Truck crashes in Franklin County peak in December, with 11.8% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Laurel?
6 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Franklin County since 2015, 4.2% of all truck crashes.
How does Laurel compare with Indiana for truck crashes?
Franklin County records 51.9 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 80.8 across Indiana.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Laurel?
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.