Burns Harbor, IN truck route planning & crash data
Plan safer truck routes in Burns Harbor: commercial truck and garbage truck crashes in Burns Harbor and Porter County, dangerous roads, seasonality and route safety data for fleets. Patterns use Porter County numbers.
Where fatal truck crashes happened
Risk scorecard
Key findings
Snapshot
Crashes by month
Garbage trucks vs all trucks
0.0 deaths per 100 garbage-truck crashes vs 2.8 for all trucks.
Deadliest roads
How Porter County compares with Indiana
Porter County against Indiana and the US, 2015–2025 (years with complete crash reporting). Per-resident rates make big and small places comparable.
Where Porter County stands out
Full comparison
| Measure (2015–2025) | Porter County | Indiana | United States | vs state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crashes per 100k residents / yr | 99.9 | 80.8 | 49.7 | 1.2× the state |
| Deaths per 100 crashes | 2.8 | 2.9 | 3.4 | same |
| Injuries per crash | 0.32 | 0.36 | 0.49 | 11% below the state |
| Garbage-truck share | 1.3% | 2.4% | 2.3% | 45% below the state |
| On snow, slush or ice | 15.3% | 10.6% | 6.2% | 1.4× the state |
| Morning rush (6–10 am) | 22.3% | 22.4% | 23.7% | same |
| In rain, sleet or snow | 18.5% | 17.4% | 13.8% | same |
| Winter months (Nov–Mar) | 43.8% | 42.7% | 41.9% | same |
| After dark | 32.8% | 32.0% | 24.8% | same |
Porter County has lower values than Indiana for injuries per crash and garbage-truck share. It stands out for higher crashes per 100k residents / yr and on snow, slush or ice.
What stands out in Burns Harbor: 1.9× fatal truck crashes within 10 miles of Burns Harbor per year, 2020–24 vs 2016–19 (5.8 vs 3.0).
Overview
Police reported 2,058 crashes involving commercial trucks in Porter County since 2015: 660 people were injured and 56 were killed.
That averages about one truck crash every 2 days in fully reported years.
Only 0 truck crashes were reported in Burns Harbor since 2015; patterns below come from Porter County as a whole.
When crashes happen
Truck crashes peak in January (11.3% of the year) and are lowest in March (6.9%).
The five winter months (November to March) hold 43.8% of truck crashes, against 42.7% across Indiana.
More truck crashes happen at 2–3 pm than at any other hour (7.3%).
Snow, slush or ice was on the road in 15.3% of truck crashes, compared with 10.6% in Indiana.
Where crashes happen
I-94 leads within 10 miles of Burns Harbor with 11 fatal crashes involving a large truck since 2015. It is followed by US-20 (7), I-80 (5) and SR-49 (3).
Garbage & waste trucks
Garbage trucks account for 25 of the truck crashes here, or 1.2%, compared with 2.4% in Indiana.
Their busiest month is May, with 16% of garbage-truck crashes.
Per 100 crashes, garbage trucks recorded 0.0 deaths compared with 2.8 for all trucks.
Route planning tips for Burns Harbor fleets
- Review driver schedules for January, the month with the most truck crashes.
- Where you can, review stops along I-94; it has the most fatal large-truck crashes nearby.
- Waste haulers: May is the peak month for garbage-truck crashes in Porter County.
- Icy and snowy roads show up in 15.3% of truck crashes here, more than Indiana; schedule winter checks early.
- Check your own stops for crash hotspots and low bridges with the free Route Planner.
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 Porter County
By hour of day
Most dangerous roads for trucks
| Road | Fatal truck crashes since 2015 (within 10 miles) |
|---|---|
| I-94 | 11 |
| US-20 | 7 |
| I-80 | 5 |
| SR-49 | 3 |
| I-90 | 2 |
| SR-130 | 2 |
| SR-149 | 2 |
| US-12 | 2 |
| Us- 20 | 2 |
| I- 80 | 1 |
Roads named most in all truck crash reports
| Road | Truck crashes since 2015 (Porter County) |
|---|---|
| I-94 | 581 |
| I-80 | 222 |
| US-30 | 135 |
| US-20 | 107 |
| SR-49 | 88 |
| US-6 | 43 |
| US-30W | 41 |
| US-30E | 33 |
Burns Harbor at a glance
| Population | 2,147 |
| Land area | 6.4 sq mi |
| Density | 334 per sq mi |
| Median household income (ZIP 46368) | $76,368 |
| Median home value (ZIP 46368) | $217,623 |
Waste facilities and haulers nearby
Historical data: truck crashes in Porter 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 | 82 | — | 5.8 |
| 2000s | 154 | +87% | 3.9 |
| 2010s | 164 | +7% | 3.2 |
| 2020s | 171 | +4% | 5.8 |
In the 1990s about 82 truck crashes a year were reported; in the 2020s, about 171. Reporting coverage also changed between these periods. Fatal crashes involving a large truck averaged 2.5 a year in 2016–19 and 5.8 a year in 2020–24.
Nearby places
Questions fleets ask about Burns Harbor
How many truck crashes happen in Burns Harbor?
Porter County has had 2,058 reported truck crashes since 2015, injuring 660 people and killing 56.
Which road has the most fatal truck crashes in Burns Harbor?
I-94 had 11 fatal crashes involving a large truck within 10 miles of Burns Harbor since 2015, more than any other road.
Which month has the most truck crashes in Burns Harbor?
Truck crashes in Porter County peak in January, with 11.3% of the year's crashes.
How many garbage truck crashes are there in Burns Harbor?
25 crashes involving garbage or refuse trucks have been reported in Porter County since 2015, 1.2% of all truck crashes.
How does Burns Harbor compare with Indiana for truck crashes?
Porter County records 99.9 truck crashes per 100,000 residents a year, against 80.8 across Indiana.
How can I plan a safer truck route in Burns Harbor?
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.