Griffith, IN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Griffith: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Griffith and Lake County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Lake County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
1.1 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 1.6 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Lake County compares with Indiana
Lake County against Indiana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Lake County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Lake County | Indiana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 117.4 | 80.8 | 49.7 | 1.5× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 1.6 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 45% below the state |
| Injuries per crash | 0.35 | 0.36 | 0.49 | same |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.4% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 40% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 12.4% | 10.6% | 6.2% | 1.2× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 20.1% | 22.4% | 23.7% | 10% below the state |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 16.9% | 17.4% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 42.0% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 35.8% | 32.0% | 24.8% | 1.1× the state |
Lake County has lower values than Indiana for deaths per 100 crashes, garbage-truck share and morning rush (6–10 am). It runs above Indiana on crashes per 100k residents / yr, on snow, slush or ice and after dark.
The headline for Griffith: I-80 deadliest road: 24 fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Griffith since 2015.
Overview
Since 2015, 6,927 crashes involving commercial trucks have been reported in Lake County. They injured 2,451 people and killed 108.
In complete reporting years that works out to about 2 truck crashes a day.
Griffith had 29 reported truck crashes since 2015, too few for reliable patterns, so the charts and findings on this page use Lake County numbers.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (9.8% of the year) and are lowest in April (6.5%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 42.0% of truck crashes, against 42.7% across Indiana.
The busiest hour is 12–1 am, with 9.0% of truck crashes.
Road surface: 12.4% of truck crashes were on snow, slush or ice (Indiana: 10.6%).
Where crashes happen
I-80 leads within 10 miles of Griffith with 24 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. It is followed by US-30 (6), I-94 (5) and SR-394 (5).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage and refuse trucks were involved in 94 crashes, 1.4% of the total, against 2.4% across Indiana.
Garbage-truck crashes peak in August (11% of them).
They recorded 1.1 deaths per 100 crashes, against 1.6 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Griffith fleets
- Build extra time into January routes: it has the most truck crashes here.
- Look at alternatives to I-80 at busy times: it leads this area in fatal truck crashes.
- Garbage-truck crashes here peak in August; review collection routes for that month.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 12.4% 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.
Truck crashes by year: all trucks vs garbage trucks
Seasonality: when trucks crash in Lake County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 24 |
| US-30 | 6 |
| I-94 | 5 |
| SR-394 | 5 |
| I-90 | 4 |
| Grant St | 3 |
| US-12 | 3 |
| Brainard Ave | 2 |
| I- 80 | 2 |
| I-65 | 2 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Lake County) |
|---|---|
| I-80 | 2,571 |
| I-65 | 1,116 |
| I-90 | 224 |
| US-41 | 101 |
| I-94 | 89 |
| US-30 | 85 |
| I-80E | 68 |
| US-41S | 57 |
Griffith at a glance
| Population | 16,192 |
| Land area | 7.8 sq mi |
| Density | 2,084 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 46319) | $74,662 |
| Median home value (ZIP 46319) | $203,177 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Lake 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 | 352 | — | 10.2 |
| 2000s | 554 | +58% | 8.7 |
| 2010s | 482 | -13% | 6.4 |
| 2020s | 647 | +34% | 8.8 |
In the 1990s about 352 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 647. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal large-truck crashes: 6.2 a year in 2016–19, 8.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Griffith
How many truck accidents are there in Griffith?
6,927 truck crashes have been reported in Lake County since 2015, with 108 deaths and 2,451 injuries.
Where do fatal truck crashes happen most in Griffith?
NHTSA data shows I-80 with 24 fatal large-truck crashes within 10 miles of Griffith since 2015, the highest of any road.
When do most truck crashes happen in Griffith?
January has the most truck crashes in Lake County, 9.8% of the yearly total.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Griffith?
94 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Lake County since 2015, 1.4% of all truck crashes.
How does Griffith compare with Indiana for truck crashes?
Lake County records 117.4 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 80.8 across Indiana.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Griffith?
Use the free Route Planner: enter your stops to get a risk score, safer alternatives and the low bridges on your route.
2026 is a partial year. Updated October 2026.